Mangroves are amazing and we are excited to have completed a new resource, 36 pages that provide an introduction to mangroves in Africa, created with Lamu Marine Conservation Trust in Kenya. LaMCoT, are based on the Lamu peninsula, a community organisation with thirty years experience (and success) in coastal and marine conservation. The booklet is part of our Living by the Ocean module, which also includes a stunning short film on Mangrove conservation and an Action sheet on mangrove planting and sustainability – all co-produced with LaMCoT.
Mangroves are a group of plants and also the type of forest and ecosystem they form – one that people tend not to know much about. Yet of thirty three African countries that have coast, twenty eight have mangrove forest – 74% of West African coast is mangrove! Asian mangroves are disappearing fast and we want to make sure that Africa doesn’t go down the same route, hence this resource, designed specifically for schools and community use.
Mangroves only grow on sheltered shorelines, coastal lagoons, creeks and estuaries, where they provide a home, resting place, feeding, breeding and nursery site for a huge range of wildlife – in the air, above and below water. As well as wildlife, nearby coastal communities use mangroves for immediate needs like food, timber, fuel and medicinal plants, and also, along with the rest of us, rely on the role mangrove forest plays in regulating climate, protecting against storms and rises in sea level.
The new resource is beautifully illustrated, with examples from west, centre, east and southern Africa. Elke Bertolli’s eye-catching photographs and water colours from Lamu are stunning. We explain why mangroves are important, describe what they are, where they grow, the different species found in different regions, their extraordinary adaptations, the types of mangrove forest, its wildlife, relationship with people, ecosystem services it provides, threats and conservation.
A print version will be available next month, contact pace@tusk.org for details.
