Current Human Impacts on the Mangroves

Humans continue to play a large role in the decline of the mangroves of Madagascar. The ecosystem is threatened by urban development, overfishing, and the development of land for agriculture. Also, people have found new agricultural lands for rice and shrimp farming. Mangrove forests provide many benefits for the local human populations, including wood and forest products. The buying and selling of these goods help the coastal communities by contributing to the national economy.

People also affect the ecosystem indirectly through climate change. “As drought and storms reduce local communities’ agricultural production, and ocean acidification and coral bleaching degrade fisheries, people harvest even more mangroves to compensate," notes one source on conservation and sustainable development. "Meanwhile the mangroves themselves are suffering from climate change and can hardly afford the extra harvesting” ("Conservation & Sustainable Development"). Cimate change is also responsible for an increase in storm surges, which

In addition to the ways humans impact the ecosystem, the mangroves also directly impact the local communities. Mangroves act as nurseries for a variety of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. These micro ecosystems are important for Madagascar’s fisheries, as fishing is one of the country’s primary industries. Climate change is also responsible for an increase in storm surges, which result in a greater number of devastating natural phenomena, like tsunamis and hurricanes. The vegetation of the region acts as a barrier, protecting human lives and property from natural disasters. With mangrove forests declining in Madagascar, there is less vegetation to be a barrier or to host the variety of bird and fish species that are unique to the area.

















Leah Falcon