PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 2:01 PM by Luigi

Mangroves and tsunamis

From Christoph Muziol of the SPC/GTZ-Pacific German Regional Forestry Project.

It may interest you that mangrove forests can actually reduce the impact even of catastrophic tsunamis, e.g. during the recent Indian Ocean tsunami,

in Tamil Nadu in India, the Pichavaram mangrove forest slowed down the waves, protecting around 1 700 people living in hamlets inland
in Indonesia, the death toll in the island of Simeuleu, located close to the epicentre was relatively low, partly due to mangrove forests that surrounded the island.
in Malaysia, in areas where the mangrove forests were intact, there was significantly reduced damage
similar observations were made in Sri Lanka

Of course, the protective effects of mangroves against tsunamis mainly depend on the scale of the tsunami and the width of the forest and, to a lesser extent, the height, density and species composition.

For those who are interested, below pls find some more related links:

A natural, low-tech solution to tsunamis: mangroves
As nations around the Indian Ocean discuss plans for a tsunami early-warning system, environmental scientists here point to an existent, natural form of disaster minimization: mangrove forests.
www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p07s01-wosc.html

Mangrove forests 'can reduce impact of tsunamis'
Dense mangrove forests growing along the coasts of tropical and sub-tropical countries can help reduce the devastating impact of tsunamis and coastal storms by absorbing some of the waves' energy, say scientists.
www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=1823&lan

Mangroves better than sea wall: Scientists
It was a dense belt of mangrove that saved the village of Pichavaram, around 40 km from here, from extensive damage by the gushing tidal waves.
www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BDCC7A0DB-61E7-4580-9E21-1F4C590A106C%7D&CATEGORYNAME=National

Indonesia to Replant Mangroves in Tsunami Defence
Indonesia will replant huge swathes of mangrove forest along its vulnerable coastline to help provide a buffer against possible future tsunamis, the forestry minister said on Friday.
www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/29021/story.htm

Tsunami-hit nations look to save mangroves
The Indian Ocean tsunami highlighted the life-saving benefits of mangroves and reefs, officials and environmentalists say, leading some Asia nations to look at replanting lost or damaged mangrove forests.
www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP250076.htm

So, with the Regional Forestry Programme’s efforts to support the sustainable management and conservation of mangroves in the Pacific, I think we are on the right track.



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DIVA-GIS	Monday, February 28, 2005 Posted 2:01 PM by Luigi Mangroves and tsunamis From Christoph Muziol of the SPC/GTZ-Pacific German Regional Forestry Project. It may interest you that mangrove forests can actually reduce the impact even of catastrophic tsunamis, e.g. during the recent Indian Ocean tsunami, in Tamil Nadu in India, the Pichavaram mangrove forest slowed down the waves, protecting around 1 700 people living in hamlets inland in Indonesia, the death toll in the island of Simeuleu, located close to the epicentre was relatively low, partly due to mangrove forests that surrounded the island. in Malaysia, in areas where the mangrove forests were intact, there was significantly reduced damage similar observations were made in Sri Lanka Of course, the protective effects of mangroves against tsunamis mainly depend on the scale of the tsunami and the width of the forest and, to a lesser extent, the height, density and species composition. For those who are interested, below pls find some more related links: A natural, low-tech solution to tsunamis: mangroves As nations around the Indian Ocean discuss plans for a tsunami early-warning system, environmental scientists here point to an existent, natural form of disaster minimization: mangrove forests. www.csmonitor.com/2005/0110/p07s01-wosc.html Mangrove forests 'can reduce impact of tsunamis' Dense mangrove forests growing along the coasts of tropical and sub-tropical countries can help reduce the devastating impact of tsunamis and coastal storms by absorbing some of the waves' energy, say scientists. www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=1823&lan Mangroves better than sea wall: Scientists It was a dense belt of mangrove that saved the village of Pichavaram, around 40 km from here, from extensive damage by the gushing tidal waves. www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BDCC7A0DB-61E7-4580-9E21-1F4C590A106C%7D&CATEGORYNAME=National Indonesia to Replant Mangroves in Tsunami Defence Indonesia will replant huge swathes of mangrove forest along its vulnerable coastline to help provide a buffer against possible future tsunamis, the forestry minister said on Friday. www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/29021/story.htm Tsunami-hit nations look to save mangroves The Indian Ocean tsunami highlighted the life-saving benefits of mangroves and reefs, officials and environmentalists say, leading some Asia nations to look at replanting lost or damaged mangrove forests. www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP250076.htm So, with the Regional Forestry Programme’s efforts to support the sustainable management and conservation of mangroves in the Pacific, I think we are on the right track. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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