Drivers causing decline of mangrove in West-Central Africa: a review
Open Access
- 22 September 2011
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management
- Vol. 7 (3), 217-230
- https://doi.org/10.1080/21513732.2011.634436
Abstract
Mangrove forest ecosystems are critically threatened in West-Central Africa due to minimal management and policy efforts. This is partly caused by insufficient knowledge about the economic and ecological value of mangrove ecosystems, which provide important ecosystem services, such as fish, flood prevention, erosion prevention, water regulation, and timber products. A strategy to improve mangrove ecosystem management would be to improve public understanding of the ecosystem's values. We studied these drivers on a regional scale, using socio-economic and grey literature and consultations with experts, thereby focusing on the period from 1980 to 2006. Wood harvesting, conversion of mangroves for agriculture, and bio-fuel plantations were important drivers of mangrove forest change. Coastal development is the most important direct driver of mangrove forest change, especially between 2000 and 2006, a period that coincides with large oil discoveries in the region. About 60% of all industries within the region are located near the coast, which is expected to attract about 50 million people by 2025. Future policies should target the risks of declining mangrove ecosystems in West-Central Africa. This requires focusing on adaptive strategies, reviewing existing coastal and marine ecosystem policies, and developing an integrated coastal management strategy for the region.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Commercial activities and subsistence utilization of mangrove forests around the Wouri estuary and the Douala-Edea reserve (Cameroon)Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2009
- Mangrove community recovery potential after catastrophic disturbances in BangladeshForest Ecology and Management, 2009
- Success rates of recruited tree species and their contribution to the structural development of reforested mangrove standsMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2006
- Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem ServicesScience, 2006
- How effective were mangroves as a defence against the recent tsunami?Current Biology, 2005
- Wetland creation, restoration, and conservation: A Wetland Invitational at the Olentangy River Wetland Research ParkEcological Engineering, 2005
- Predation on propagules regulates regeneration in a high-density reforested mangrove plantationMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2005
- Gap formation and forest regeneration in a Micronesian mangrove forestJournal of Tropical Ecology, 2003
- Dependence of Caribbean reef fishes on mangroves and seagrass beds as nursery habitats: a comparison of fish faunas between bays with and without mangroves/seagrass bedsMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2001
- Indigenous Use of Wetlands and Sustainable Development in West AfricaThe Geographical Journal, 1993