Red List Of Mangrove Ecosystems:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued a “Red List of Mangrove Ecosystems” cautioning that half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapsing.
- This marks the first comprehensive global assessment of mangroves by IUCN.
- The world’s mangrove ecosystems cover about 150 thousand km2 along mainly tropical, sub-tropical and some warm temperate coasts of the world. About 15% of the world’s coastlines are covered by mangroves.
- Mangrove ecosystems are important for biodiversity conservation, provision of essential goods and services to local communities, and reducing the impact of climate change. For this reason, understanding risk of ecosystem collapse has serious socioeconomic implications.
Key Findings of the Report:
- It classified the world’s mangrove ecosystems into 36 different regions called provinces and assessed the threats and risk of collapse in each region.
- Over 50% of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse (classified as either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered), with nearly 1 in 5 facing severe risk.
- One-third of the world’s mangrove ecosystem provinces will be severely affected by sea-level rise, with 25% of the global mangrove area predicted to be submerged in the next 50 years.
- The mangrove ecosystem in South India shared with Sri Lanka and Maldives, is categorized as “critically endangered”.
- In contrast, mangrove ecosystems in the Bay of Bengal region (shared with Bangladesh) and the western coast (shared with Pakistan) are classified as “least concerned”.
- A study found that globally, climate change is the major threat to mangrove ecosystems, affecting 33% of mangroves.
- It is followed by deforestation, development, pollution, and dam construction.
- Increased frequency and intensity of cyclones, typhoons, hurricanes, and tropical storms are impacting mangroves on certain coastlines.
- Coasts along the Northwest Atlantic, North Indian Ocean, Red Sea, South China Sea, and Gulf of Aden are predicted to be significantly impacted. Without increased conservation, about 7,065 sq km (5%) more mangroves could be lost, and 23,672 sq km (16%) will be submerged by 2050.
