Mangrove trees growing along the riverbanks of Kampung Pendas Laut in Gelang Patah, Johor.
JOHOR needs to continue protecting its mangrove ecosystem to prevent erosion in coastal areas.
National University of Singapore South-East Asian Studies Department lecturer Dr Serina Rahman said mangroves were nature’s erosion defence and very cost-efficient and effective too.
“No form of engineering can replace mangroves,” she said in an interview with StarMetro.
“We cannot stop development from taking place but we need to have a balanced approach that results in a win-win situation for all.”
She said unfortunately, some coastal development projects had damaged mangroves.
“Property industry players put a high value on projects that promise views of the sea, as this attracts buyers.”
Sivakumar: Johor needs to act fast or face a severe water crisis in the future.
She added that developers in a rush to build their seaview projects would take the cheapest and fastest approach, which was the wholesale clearing of mangroves.
“There are ways to develop projects while keeping the environment in mind, but these require more effort and care,” said Serina.
She said it was important for a new outlook on development to take root that involved local communities, including fishermen who had used the mangrove habitats for generations.
“These habitats were their sustainable source of livelihoods.
“When they are repossessed and cleared, the fishing community loses not just environmentally but also financially,” she highlighted.
She said the assessment process for all coastal projects (including reclamation projects) needed to take into account that replenishing lost habitats could be tricky.
“Mangrove replanting, coastal engineering and artificial landscaping often do very little to recreate the enduring values, services and strengths of a preserved natural habitat.“Another thing that is often overlooked is the importance of mangroves in the overall seascape,” said Serina.
She stressed that mangroves were just one component in a deeply intertwined marine ecosystem.
She said the mangroves connected not just the land to the open sea but they were also connected to mudflats, seagrass and nearshore islands and coral reefs.
“If you take away one component of the seascape, you break a complex link.”
She said many animals depended on that link, for example species of fish that bred in the mangroves but headed out to feed in the seagrass and mated/spawned in deeper waters.
“Their eggs/spawn float back to mangroves to hatch and the cycle begins again,” she said.
If any of these parts of the seascape were removed, said Serina, then a phase in a species’ lifecycle was disturbed, bringing serious consequences.
One consequence of destroying mangrove forests is more global warming due to having fewer trees to sequester (store) carbon which directly adds to warming, she pointed out.
“Mangrove forests are also home to countless flora and fauna that depend on an intact ecosystem to survive,” she said.
Serina said some of the animal and plant species that lived in Johor’s mangrove forests were endangered and could not be found anywhere else in the world.
“This adds to the urgency of protecting these areas because if something was gone, it could be gone forever,” she said.
She added, “Coastal communities also depend on mangrove forests for food and if all mangroves are cleared for luxury development or industries, they lose a free source of subsistence.”
Johor Green Earth Society is also calling on the state government to ensure all its mangrove forests are well protected.
Society president P. Sivakumar said this could be achieved by keeping coastal areas free from any form of development, and by planting more mangrove trees.
He noted that Johor was home to one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, in Tanjung Piai, Pontian, which was the southernmost point of mainland Eurasia.
According to studies, Johor has the third-longest coastline with mangroves in the country (492km), after Sarawak and Sabah.
Johor also has three Ramsar sites in the southwest region, namely Pulau Kukup National Park, Tanjung Piai National Park and Sungai Pulai Forest Reserve.
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated under the Ramsar Convention to be of international importance.
Sivakumar said mangrove forests guarded coastlines from fierce waves and also acted as natural traps and filters to prevent debris and rubbish from entering rivers.
“Rivers are the main source of raw water supply in Johor, so the state authorities need to act fast or face a severe water crisis in the near future,” said Sivakumar.
He said losing mangrove forests would also have a huge impact on the livelihood of coastal fishermen in Johor.
“Mangrove forests are sanctuaries and breeding grounds for udang galah (freshwater prawns), ketam bangkang (mud crabs), edible sea snails and certain types of fish.”
He hoped that the state government could work together with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to plant more mangrove trees.
“Most NGOs are facing financial constraints.
Mangroves are nature’s cost-efficient and effective defence against coastal erosion.
“We depend on donations from the public or dip into our own pockets to organise activities and programmes,” said Sivakumar.
He proposed that every school in Johor invite NGOs or experts on environmental issues to hold talks regularly on protecting the environment.
“We need to educate our youngsters on environmental conservation by reaching out to them,” he added.
