Losing Mangroves

Palm oil is one of those products that shows up just about everywhere. Not only is it used for cooking, but it’s also found in toothpaste, lipstick, ice cream, and many other household products. It’s also a growing source of biodiesel, especially in developing countries.

Most of the world’s palm oil comes from Malaysia and Indonesia. But the growing business in these countries is fueling a growing problem: a loss of mangrove forests. These coastal forests provide habitat for fish, shellfish, birds, and other creatures. They also protect against storm-driven flooding, and they trap a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

But a recent study found that mangroves are disappearing from Southeast Asia in a hurry. The region lost about 400 square miles of mangrove forests from 2000 to 2012. And some of the greatest losses came from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, where the mangroves were cleared away to make room for oil-palm plantations.

Two other industries are also contributing to the habitat loss. One is aquaculture, where the mangroves are stripped away to create ponds for raising fish. And the other is rice production, especially in Myanmar. In fact, rice production there resulted in about one-fifth of the total mangrove loss.

Researchers added one positive note: Some of the mangrove forests expanded, and some destroyed forests regrew. Even so, Southeast Asia may have lost up to two percent of its mangrove forests in a bit more than a decade — a big loss for the environment.