We aren’t learning here in the Cayman Islands but in Sri Lanka, after losing 76% of its mangrove forests over the past 100 years, they have – finally.

In one of our stories today from the BBC Mark Kinver has reported:

“Sri Lanka has become the first nation in the world to comprehensively protect all of its mangrove forests.

“A scheme backed by the government will include alternative job training, replanting projects and microloans.

“Mangroves are considered to be one of the world’s most at-risk habitats, with more than half being lost or destroyed in the past century.”

Go to: “Sri Lanka first nation to protect all mangrove forests” filed under MANAGERS CHOICE”

Whilst we are intent in destroying our mangroves – the few we have left – a much poorer country and much bigger has finally seen the light.

The following is a report found on the “Back to the cradle” website

Asian Tsunami: Lessons from the Survivors
Why coral reefs and mangroves protected and saved many lives and concrete structures succumbed and could not protect?
When the devastating tsunami struck several nations around the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean on the 26th of December, 2004, areas covered with coral reefs and mangroves did not suffer much damage and protected the people inland. On the other hand, many buildings, resorts, an air force base, highways and bridges and other concrete structures collapsed. Can man-made structures ever be substitutes for nature?

When the Tsunami washed away the lives and livelihood of more than 2 lakh people in Southern Asia, it also washed away many man made structures including buildings, resorts, highways, houses and even an Indian Air Force base at Car Nicobar. But in areas where there were extensive coral reefs and intact mangroves, the loss of lives and damage appeared to be much less than those where the reefs had been damaged and the mangroves ripped out and replaced by prawn farms and poorly planned beachfront hotels.

While the coral reefs and mangroves saved the land and its people, concrete structures succumbed and killed many inmates

In Surin Island off the Thai coast, not far from Phuket, only a handful of people are known to have died. The ring of coral in waters around the Surin Island mostly held firm when the tsunami struck and saved many lives. It both broke the force of the tsunami and acted as a kind of early-warning system: people saw the waves breaking against the reefs and scrambled for safety.

The loss of human life was very much less at Marriott hotel in Phuket, Thailand. The hotel, developed with strict environmental guidelines, was built back from the beach and development of the waterfront was severely restricted, so mangrove swamps were preserved along the coast.

It is reported that mangroves in Ranong and Phang Nga in Thailand saved hundreds of people.

In India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, areas in Pichavaram and Muthupet with dense mangroves suffered fewer human casualties and less damage to property compared to areas without mangroves. In Pichavaram, 6 hamlets under physical coverage of the mangrove wetlands did not suffer any damage, seawater did not enter into the village and there was no loss of property. But hamlets located on or near the beach were totally devastated. The coast between Nagoore and Nagapattinam saw relatively less damage because of a government campaign to put up plantations; only two deaths were reported from this forested area.

On Penang Island, the worst affected area in Malaysia, there was reduced property damage and less impact on the coast in areas where the mangrove forests were intact.

Simeuleu island, only 40km from the earthquake’s epicenter, was saved by the wide belt of mangroves, and only four people there died.

Five villages 100km southeast of Banda Aceh in Julok were also saved by extensive mangroves in the area.

In Sri Lanka also, it was observed that in areas where there were ‘green belts’, the damage was less or none at all.

Although Maldives should have been the most vulnerable with very little of its land rising more than a couple of metres above sea level, only about 100 people died on its 1,190 islands while more than 25000 died in the neighbouring Sri Lanka. Local reports say that the tsunami passed right over the archipelago, briefly submerging it, but the waves, passing as a relatively gentle swell, hit the islands flat with little force. Most people were able to hold on and most of those swept out to sea were able to get back. They related this to the healthy coral reefs surrounding the islands, protected by strict government regulations.

Burma, where much of the mangroves remain intact, appears to be far less affected than its neighbour, Thailand. Mangroves took the brunt of the attack, got ravaged and uprooted but they protected the people and villages.

Similar observations have been made on earlier occasions too:

A ‘super-cyclone’ struck Orissa on India’s east coast in October 1999, killing at least 10,000 people and leaving 7.5 million homeless with 20ft waves crashing more than 12 miles inland. Area around Bhitarkanika, home to one of the world’s biggest forests, was largely spared while the worst of the damage was where mangroves had been destroyed.

Planting of new mangroves along 70 miles of the Vietnamese coast protected the land behind them from the typhoon in 2000 and the worst floods in 2003.

In 1960, a tsunami wave hit the coast in Bangladesh in an area where mangroves were intact and not a single human life was lost. These mangroves were subsequently cut down and replaced with shrimp farms. In 1991, thousands of people were killed when a tsunami of the same magnitude hit the same region.

Man made structures could not withstand the fury of the tsunami, nor did they protect lives. Some deaths have been attributed to injuries sustained from these structures collapsing over inmates.

Indian Air Force base in Car Nicobar island was completely destroyed.

Many hotels, resorts and leisure homes along the coasts suffered extensive damage and could not stop the surging waters. Even steel-strengthened resorts in Thailand were badly damaged. Thousands of houses were destroyed and could not protect their inmates.

Walls erected along the coastline could not stop the waves that broke over them.

Many highways, bridges and roads were washed away.

Concrete block homes were smashed to pieces in Somalia, far off from SE Asia.

Man-made structures destroyed by Tsunami

The coral reefs and mangrove swamps are double barrier of defence that nature provides against catastrophes from the sea. Mangroves, coral reefs and coastal forests together act as a ‘protective screen’ for the coastal system. The solid barriers of the reefs brake up and slow down the waves while the tangled roots and dense vegetation of the mangroves absorb much of their remaining energy.

Although they cannot prevent tsunami attacks, they could act as a buffer zone and dissipate much of the waves’ destructive energy before they reach the shore and protect the landward side, sheltering coastal communities and wildlife from the brunt of storms and waves. Tropical coastal ecosystem have sophisticated natural insurance mechanisms to help them survive the storm waves of Typhoon and tsunami. There is ample scientific evidence that clearly shows that a 15 meter tsunami wave’s destructive force is greatly dissipated as it passes through intact, healthy coastal zones containing coral, sea grass and mangroves. These ‘coastal greenbelts of protection’ also play a vital role in reducing sedimentation and shoreline erosion. Other important contributions include enhanced wild fisheries and marine life, medicines, fruit, honey, lumber, fuel wood, tannins and aesthetic beauty.

Coral reefs are equivalent to natural breakwaters, providing a physical barrier that reaches the surface, causing waves to break offshore and allowing them to dissipate most of their destructive energy. It is estimated that globally, coral reefs provide US$9 billion annually in economic benefits associated with coastal protection.
SOURCE: http://www.back2cradle.org/tsunami3.htm

The above makes a very powerful case but will anyone here listen?

Will anyone here learn from the mistakes made elsewhere?

Unfortunately I already know the answer.