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        "Mangroves, Protecting a Coastline Near You"                      March 28, 2005    

A man scrambles to escape the wave in the Phuket area
of Thailand, above. To the right, debris and bodies litter
the coastline.      Photos courtesy of Bryce Smedley                                        

Mangrove Protection Would Have Lessened Tsunami’s Impact

As Southeast Asian countries scramble to find ways to develop early warning signs to protect their coastlines and citizens from Mother Nature’s powerful forces, it has become clear that Mother Nature has built in protection mechanisms for protecting people and biodiversity from a Tsunami, mangrove coastlines.

The nations affected by the tsunami now plan on spending millions of dollars to develop technology for the early warning signs (EWS) of an approaching tsunami. Yet, it has been documented that elephants in Thailand vanished from the low lands. Locals said that birds disappeared the morning of the tsunami, and the sea gypsy people had moved their families to higher ground three days before the tsunami. The sea gypsies said the sea Gods warned them of danger coming, by providing them with signs, only two people out of thousands died from the sea gypsy communities in Thailand. These are people who live on stilts in the Indian Ocean. The signs were present to warn us of a tsunami approaching, but many people have turned away from listening to nature. 

The defense system for protecting people from the surges of the ocean had also been removed from parts of Thailand’s coastline, leaving communities naked and vulnerable to nature’s hard reality. A theory is emerging that areas with healthier ecosystems were less affected. For example, in Sri Lanka, less altered and more vegetated parts of the sea-land interface withstood the tsunami to a much greater extent than areas where vegetation had been removed or the shoreline changed or encroached upon. 
                                  
Environmentalists have long warned that destroying the coastline for development will come back to haunt the new communities. The years of warning about the dire consequences of destroying these coastal guardians have been nothing short of screaming at a brick wall. Environmentalists have gained little for their troubles, save the classic labels accorded to their kind — alarmist and anti-development.

Yet as a hundred thousand or so people lost their lives on December 26, and families were torn apart, we must now think of what we could have done differently. It is now very apparent that damage from the Indian Ocean tsunami could have been reduced if more coastal areas had maintained their protective shields of mangrove swamps and coral reefs. Mangroves grow in thickets along tropical coastlines and their complicated root systems help to bind the shore together, effectively providing a shield against destructive waves. It wouldn't have been able to stop it completely, of course, but where there were mangroves, there was substantially less damage. Up to half of the world's mangrove swamps have disappeared in the last 20-30 years because of the development of tourist resorts, transport infrastructure and commercial prawn fishing. The environmental damage has been huge, from the obvious and visible destruction along the coastal areas to the possibility of extinction of certain species

The devastation from this year’s tsunami has reminded us that earth is in a continuous state of evolution. It is now up to the global community and civil society to engage in public discourse to promote sustainable development and link human society with environmental protection. It’s time we re-link to our natural surroundings and realize while technology is important; it is not a panacea for solving the problems faced by Mother Earth. Technology is merely an aid to the natural ecosystem so that we can decipher its messages even better. If we do not allow the ecosystem to function in a natural state, no amount of technology can give us an effective EWS or protection.  I ask all of us to keep the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their lives or been affected by the tsunami in your thoughts when we fight for the earth. It may well have been their lives lost that will bring about a greater understanding for protecting our earth. 

Bryce Smedley dispatches from various corners of Southeast Asia for Lowbagger. 		Lowbagger Home
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