Refuge for endangered species
The mangrove is an ecosystem found in the world’s tropical coastal areas, islands and riverbanks. Its flora tinges the territories with green, creating unique landscapes that are true paradises for many endangered species such as the manatee, which find in them an ideal refuge to protect themselves from possible predators.
These ecosystems, as well as providing habitat for many species of fauna, serve as protection for millions of people on the planet due to their capacity to reduce the risk of flooding.
Another of their most valued benefits is their action against climate change, since mangroves have the capacity to store up to 10 times more CO2 than other natural areas such as forests. In this respect, mangroves are essential as they act as carbon sinks, capturing and storing it in their roots or vaults, and preventing this gas from being incorporated into the atmosphere and remaining there for millennia, favouring global warming.
Other important services provided by this ecosystem are the supply of food and the natural purification of water, which is then safely used by the inhabitants of the surrounding area.
Finally, it is a good companion, and shows multiple synergies with other ecosystems, especially with corals, influencing an increase in biomass in those areas where they share geography.
SOS mangroves
Despite all these advantages, according to the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA), since 1996, 11,700 km2 of mangroves have been lost worldwide. And 62% of these losses are man-made.
The threats to these ecosystems globally are manifold. One of the main ones is the effect that climate change is having on these floating populations. This is especially true with regard to sudden changes in sea level, caused by heavy flooding, which in many cases is leading to their disappearance.
The urbanisation of coastal areas is another of the threats that mangroves have to coexist with, as this urban interference degrades or directly eliminates them.
Since 1996, 11,700 km2 of mangroves have been lost worldwide. And 62% of these losses are man-made.
In this sense, the pollution caused by human activities often affects their aerial roots, which, due to the high presence of sediments, oils and other solid waste, end up saturated and obstructed, which can lead to their death.
Finally, it is worth highlighting the influence that certain agricultural activities, such as shrimp farming or the creation of rice fields, are having on the disappearance of this important source of biodiversity.
Protection of mangrove forests in Guinea Bissau
Guinea Bissau is no exception, and its mangroves face some of the dangers discussed above. Faced with such a worrying situation, official institutions, such as the Biodiversity Institute of Protected Areas of Guinea-Bissau (IBAP), have special programmes for their monitoring and protection.
In 2023 , IBAP technicians monitored 363,296.27 hectares of mangroves nationwide, 36.5 hectares of which are part of a project to protect and restore mangroves and productive landscapes to strengthen food security and mitigate climate change. In addition, 908.3 hectares of mangroves that had disappeared were repopulated.
The social project Orango Parque Hotel, located on the island of Orango Grande, where there is a large presence of mangroves, has also carried out actions to protect this important ecosystem. The most notable was the construction of wooden footbridges in areas where boats moor, to facilitate the disembarkation of people and thus avoid the trampling of the flora and the erosion of the fragile mangrove soils.
If you want to visit a beautiful mangrove area, take part in one of the ecotourism circuits organised by Orango Parque Hotel, where you will pass through coastal areas of incredible beauty belonging to this unique ecosystem.
We look forward to seeing you!
