Kennedy Warne: "Let Them Eat Shrimp: The Tragic Disappearance of the Rainforests of the Sea"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-11-29/kennedy-warne-let-them-eat-shrimp-tragic-disappearance-rainforests-sea
Warne in a Mangrove forest
Courtesy Kennedy Warne
John Steinbeck once said “no one likes the mangroves.” But New Zealand marine biologist Kennedy Warne argues they are simply misunderstood. There are seventy species of mangroves, ranging from trees to shrubs to ferns. What defines them is their unique ability to thrive in heat, mud and salt that would kill an ordinary plant. Mangrove forests support a wealth of animal and plant species. They provide food, medicine, work and homes for millions of coastal people. But development and shrimp aquaculture are threatening their existence. Warne explains the importance of these rainforests of the sea and how we can help protect them.
Guests
Kennedy Warne
author of "Roads Less Traveled" and founding editor of New Zealand Geographic.
Program Highlights
Many people have never heard of mangrove forests, but they are nurseries for a vast variety of animals and plants. They act as supermarkets of the sea for humans, providing shellfish, crabs, honey, timber and charcoal, and they're also good storm barriers. To shrimp farmers and real estate developers, they represent a good investment, but at the cost of local ecosystems and the people who rely on them. Environmentalist Kennedy Warne has written a book about what he calls the tragic disappearance of these rainforests of the sea.
How Shrimp Farms Are Harming Mangroves
Over the past 40 years, most industrial shrimp farms have been located in areas where Mangroves grow - at the borders of the land and the sea. The forests are removed, and shrimp farms have been developed, mostly in parts of Southeast Asia and Central America. Warne estimates that anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of all mangroves have been removed over the past 4 decades.
They May Smell, But They're Still Wondrous
There is a wide variety of mangroves - as many as 70 species, according to Warne, including hibiscus, holly, and palm. What they have in common is the ability to withstand a saltwater environment that would kill an ordinary plant within days, or even hours. But there's not much oxygen in the soil in a Mangrove forest, which can contirbute to a pervasive sulphurous smell, and the swampy conditions are ideal for mosquito breeding. They serve as such a huge source of food in many countries that Warne refers to them as an "ecological Swiss army knife." Mangroves are also one of nature's best carbon sequestration plants, which could help diminish the ill effects of climate change.
Nature's Barriers
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami made some countries in Southeast Asia and the wider region realize the cost of having removed some of the natural coastal barriers like mangroves. Warne admits that even mangroves couldn't have stopped a 30-foot high tsunami wave, but climate scientists are predicting an uptick in more forceful hurricanes and cyclones. But the arguments for saving the mangroves for barrier reasons is difficult to make in the face of the value of those areas of land. For commercial fisheries, an acre of Mangrove area could be worth as much as $30,000, and the people who live alongside the mangroves have traditionally not had a strong political voice.
What Can The Rest Of The World Do?
Consumers everywhere should try to make a connection to where their food comes from, Warne said. Ninety percent of the shrimp that comes in to the U.S. isn't coming from wild shrimp fisheries, Warne said - it's coming from exports from the developing world. There is also a move in the political arena toward certifying the sustainability of shrimp. Warne would also like to see greater social justice for the people of the mangroves who have lost their way of life and, in some cases, their livelihoods.
You can read the full transcript here.
Read an Excerpt
Excerpted from Kennedy Warne's "Let Them Eat Shrimp: The Tragic Disappearance of the Rainforests of the Sea." Copyright 2011 by Kennedy Warne. Excerpted here by permission of Island Press:
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Comments
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Please tell Kennedy to go on the Martha Stewart show to tell american about this problem. She is really good about bringing this type of issue to americans.
Thanks for writing and doing the research on this subject. I will definitly change my ways.
Good show. Please, more on the names to look for or avoid when shopping, and which descriptors are meaningless marketspeak.
I have an excellent example of a country that has preserved and promoted a mangrove forest -- Trinidad, West Indies. Their largest mangrove swamp, the Caroni Swamp, has been designated a national park, the largest of its kind in the Caribbean. By educating school children (primarily Molly Gaskin and her staff at the Pointe-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust) and promotion of the site as an ecotourism destination -- with its thousands of Scarlet Ibis returning to their roosts at sunset -- the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has set a fine example of how to save a mangrove swamp while promoting the economy of the immediate area.
I have visited T&T 71 times so far!
Can mangroves be replanted? If so, how long does a reforestation program take to accomplish its goals (say per sq. mi. area)? Are there any organizations dedicated to assisting countries/regions/private individuals in restoration efforts?
Mangrove loss discussion
Fascinating NPR can host a discussion that circles around the problem but embrace the shibboleths and miss the bigger point.
Viewpoint stated is that nations with mangrove forests are destroying those in order to achieve "growth" without discussing whether growth has any value as progress.
Growth is quantitative and very easy to measure in contrast to progress which is qualitative and definition is elusive, therefore measure is challenging to the point of impossible.
Growth as Man pursues it must be pursued with population increase, witness the omnipresent commentary on stagnant population being indicative of stagnant economy.
Increasing population means we have to have more growth to feed those people, which continues population increase.
We are trapped in a vicious circle until we take on the challenge of specific definition of progress.
Man long ago passed the point that population increase forces degradation of the environment.
The shrimp farms are an excellent example of the efforts being made to feed the World population and the fact it is not sustainable.
There are many similar indices of looming catastrophe that will be Biblical in significance.
Fish stocks are dangerously depleted, coral reefs are being destroyed, drug resistant bacteria are evolving from concentrated animal farming, arable land is being turned to desert....
Back in early 2000 when I worked at a conservation organization, my co-workers and I would say, "Friends don't let friends eat shrimp." Shrimp farming causes many problems and so does wild caught shrimping. Back then research showed 90 percent bycatch with shrimp trawling. Instead of choosing between wild or farmed shrimp, why not suggest an end to eating shrimp all together. I'm a long-time vegan and it's a good feeling to know that through my eating habits, I don't contribute to environmental destruction or animal suffering.
Mr. Warne's enthusiasm for teleological anthropomorphism seems to outstrip his grasp of life science. What he means by a "normal plant" has no basis in botany. And "cathedrals"? Really? Finally, and tellingly, the idea that Marie Antoinette ever said "let them eat cake" (even in French) has been pretty thoroughly debunked. It takes about 60 seconds online to check that fact. So, while there are many good reasons to prevent coastal mangroves from being destroyed for the convenience of international commerce, I do not fancy Mr. Warne's eco-romanticism or his apparent disrespect for simple facts.
YES! We take care of it as if it's a farm and you would be shocked by how quickly the trees grow back if cared for properly. From seed to a 15' tree in less than 5 years. All it takes is commitment and funds. There are many organizations presently funding restoration projects.
floridacoastalmangroves.com
Besides development of coast lands, has there been a problem with invasive plants crowding out the mangroves like that haas happened in the Florida Keys.
This topic "Disappearnce of the Rainforests of he Sea" is a most important and valueable topic. Thank you Diane !
Beyond the focus of the problem, we need tools and team work to comeup with solutions, even if not a "magic solution" but nevertheless a "helpful solution" . I have created several articles for "reforestatin" not only for rainforest region but let's find stronger ways for "Reforestation" here in America, particularly via C2C link with "Reforesation People' elsewhere.
Avi Dey
Coordinator
Twin Project C2C
Twitter ID: waldenthreenet
http://reforestationusa.doublehelixtwin.net