More than 20 years ago, along the lush southeastern coast of Kenya, the area known as Vanga Bay was home to a mangrove forest spanning 4,428 hectares (10,942 acres). But some 18 hectares (44 acres) of mangroves have been lost every year for the past 25 years, a total of 451 hectares (1,114 acres) during this period.
Mangrove harvesting has been underway here since 1991 by local communities; according to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, approximately 87% of the Kwale county’s households use mangrove wood as fuelwood and building material, The overharvesting of the trees destroys the mangrove forest’s capacity to act as the first line of defense against ocean-related catastrophes. Studies show that mangrove forests offer multiple benefits related to both mitigating and adapting to climate change. They absorb three to four times more carbon than tropical upland forests and reduce the debilitating effects of floods, and their complex root networks are known to serve as a buffer against strong waves, high winds and storm surges for coastal communities.
In Vanga Bay, the loss of the forests is being keenly felt.
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