Mangrove Loss in Myanmar Greatly Intensified Cyclone Damage

A natural buffer to disaster.

Recent large-scale destruction of mangroves contributed heavily to the damage inflicted by the cyclone Nargis that ripped through Myanmar last week, says the UN.

Myanmar is home to the eight-largest mangrove forest in the world, but it had lost large areas of mangroves over the last four decades. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated in 2005 that the losses were around 70,000 hectares from 1972 to 2005, and 2008 estimates suggest a much higher loss.

The Irwaddy delta, the largest mangrove area in Myanmar, is exactly where cyclone Nargis struck, and it is precisely where the largest losses of mangroves had occured prior to the cyclone.

In dense mangroves, the tree’s trunks, branches and roots offer resistance to the force of waves and reduce the impact. Mangroves also trap and stabilize sediments and reduce the risk of shoreline erosion, while ground vegetation can protect against smaller waves.

The mangroves in Myanmar were destroyed for conversion into rice fields, large-scale shrimp and prawn farming introduced in 1995, extraction of fuelwood and charcoal, and expansion of human settlements.

Coastal planning to ensure a protective buffer zone where habitation is discouraged is one way to reduce damage from future cyclones, says the Food and Agriculture Organization.