Current Events Blog: Food, Forestry, Agriculture and Aquaculture

Article Link: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35198675

Topic: Food, Forestry, Agriculture and Aquaculture

According to this article, aquaculture is a huge threat to mangroves in South East Asia, accounting for almost 40% of its deforestation in only two years. Many mangroves have been converted into rice or palm oil plantations, which is widely known but the magnitude of its effects on mangrove populations was shocking to researchers. Mangrove forests are important in coastal communities because they allow for biodiversity and provide food and resources to the people in these communities. The article goes on to discuss how bringing awareness of the importance of mangroves is vital and discusses some of the initiatives already in place in some South East Asian countries to protect mangroves. However, the article assures that more must be done to stop the deforestation of mangroves and to save existing mangroves. Based on the information given in the article, I agree that more needs to be done to save and preserve mangroves. The article provides sufficient evidence that shows how important mangroves are to the environment and people in coastal communities in South East Asia. I had no knowledge of mangroves, their importance, or their endangerment before I read this article but now that I know, I feel more inclined to do something to help this problem. The article cites awareness as one of the most important things that can help save mangroves and I agree based on my own experience of learning about mangroves and their importance by reading this article. However, as I was reading the article I asked why the people in South East Asia took to deforestation and made rice and palm oil plantations to replace mangroves when mangroves provide so much to the people in South East Asia. Are rice and palm oil plantations more profitable than the resources that mangroves provide? I also want to know if the loss of aquaculture and rice and palm oil farms would negatively affect the people who converted mangroves to aquaculture and if there is a way to have a balance of both.