Breaking News!!!

SWAMP PLAN ON HOLD.

      Researchers have long been calling for the government of Fiji to effectively protect their mangroves.  However, legislation was never fully enforced.  A mere four days ago, on November 19, the government has done just that!  Well, almost.  In Fiji’s capital, Suva, officials announced that they are (finally) putting applications for development on mangroves on hold.  And with good reason--they say they need to protect mangroves and explore how they will do that by reviewing the Mangrove Management Plan of 1985-1986 in collaboration with agencies.  They publicly recognized the permanent loss of mangroves urban development has caused.  Furthermore, they called for an “urgent moratorium” because the loss of the mangroves means the loss of their traditional fishing grounds and cultivation for medicine and food.  The government is embracing tradition.  

       This is important because there is still so much unexplored potential of the tourism sector in Fiji.  Potential that could easily exploit the mangroves even more.  This decision shows that the government is taking a stand and standing up for mangroves and stepping in the right direction. This sends a strong message across both natives and foreign investors.  The government is acting in the interests of the environment and natives and developers will be forced to as well.   Director Environment Jope Davetanivalu said that before they development was allowed an environment impact assessment would have to be done, which could take a year.  

       Fiji is not rejecting urbanization, but rather they are demanding that it be done sustainably and carefully.  The area under review is the Suva peninsula areas.  This decision was a direct result of a letter from the people of Rewa calling attention to the destruction of mangroves from development on the Suva Peninsula.  The government is co-operating with its people.  

       This recent development is a good sign for future of Fijian mangroves.  The government is actively protecting its mangroves, and, furthermore, proves it is able to work with its people.  

Works Cited:
Seru, Maikeli. "Results." Swamp Plan on Hold. Fiji Sun Newspaper, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fijisun.com.fj/2012/11/19/swamp-plan-on-hold/>.

Eco-Tourism

Where do tourists go in Fiji?

Fiji has untapped potential for development that could have enormous economic benefits, but deadly environmental costs if not done sustainably.  Tourism must be developed at a rate that both the Fijian people nd the environment can take.  the Fijian governernment should not take advantage of their natural environment, and they must not be taken advantage of by foreign investors.  There must be a balance between development and the environment and between foreign investors and the local Fijian population.  The good news is that Fiji has not been extensively developed and is at a crossroads where it can determine its future.  

Construction and development should be eco-friendly.  Furthermore, design should be traditional and local craftsmanship employed; development should not turn Fiji into a plethora of giant resorts.  

       Developers should not be excused to build if they promise to replant mangroves.  As the table on the right shows, the older the tree, the more photosynthesis occurs.  Furthermore, young trees do not have as much bio-diversity as the old trees. A common restoration project in Fiji is afforestation, when mangrove forests are planted in areas where they did not originally grow in.  Furthermore, while many new mangroves are being planted, trees disappear faster than they are planted.    

Development should be encouraged on a local level to keep money within the locals.  Right now, 60% of the money created by tourism leaves the country.

      Structure is needed to enforce the above discussed guidelines.  Fiji has many old laws protecting mangroves, but they are not strictly enforced.

Eco-friendly tourist activities that do not threaten the environment but instead embraces it.  For example, kayaking instead of motor boats provides an alternative way of promoting Fijian tourism that also benefits the environment. If such kayaking tours also tie in a message of sustainability within each tour, and make it known that their tour is taking action to promote Eco-tourism, I believe that travelers will become more conscious of the potential hurt that tourism has placed on environments around Fiji for decades.

Works Cited:
Alongi, Daniel M. "Present State and Future of the World's Mangrove Forests."Environmental Conservation 29.03 (2002): n. pag. Print.
Levett, Roger, and Richard McNally. A Strategic Environmental Assessment of Fiji’s Tourism Development Plan. Rep. N.p.: n.p., 2003. Print.
Van Lavieren, H., Spalding, M., Alongi, D., Kainuma, M., Clüsener-Godt, M., and Adeel, Z. 2012. Securing the Future of Mangroves. A Policy Brief. UNU-INWEH, UNESCO-MAB with ISME, ITTO, FAO, UNEP-WCMC and TNC. 53 pp.

Table Citations:
http://cmbc.ucsd.edu/content/1/docs/alongi%202002.pdf

MANGROVES UNDER ATTACK BY CLIMATE CHANGE

Mangroves are a valuable ally in preventing and fighting climate change.  By destroying them, we are not only taking away a defense but also contributing to the consequences of climate change.  The impact of climate changes will continue to be felt by the mangroves.  Sea-levels will rise, temperatures will increase, more carbon dioxide will be emitted into the air, storms will become more common, and perception patterns will change.  

In the next 100 years, the world is expected to warm up between 2 and 4 degrees Celsius.  Species’ home is partly dependent on temperature, so a change in temperature will allow some animals to live in new places.  A change in temperature means a change in soil composition, more photosynthesis, biomass diversity, and general growth and reproduction.  However, the accumulation of sediment, which the mangroves live on, will decrease.  If the mangroves loose their “footing,” they are in danger of collapsing into the water.  Furthermore, temperature change changes the salinity of the water, which is dangerous because if it gets too salty, it will kill the mangroves.  

A dying mangrove forest

Carbon dioxide levels are also expected to increase, and is likely to also change the rates of photosynthesis and salinity. One third of the carbon dioxide released ends up in the ocean, making the pH of the ocean increasingly acidic, which will attack the marine ecosystem.  

Perception will become drastically uneven, switching between long periods of immense rainfall and drought, not leaving the mangroves with enough time to adapt.  Furthermore, storms will become more intense, uprooting and defoliating the mangroves.  These storms will also become more frequent, also not leaving the mangroves enough time to recover.  

The mangroves are complete under attack from every direction, endangering their future.  The mangroves are projected to diminish between 1 and 2% annually.  The threats outlined in this blog post cannot be directly addressed and will only go away when global warming is brought to a halt.  

Works Cited:

Eric L. Gilman, Joanna Ellison, Norman C. Duke, Colin Field, Threats to mangroves from climate change and adaptation options: A review, Aquatic Botany, Volume 89, Issue 2, August 2008, Pages 237-250, ISSN 0304-3770, 10.1016/j.aquabot.2007.12.009.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030437700800003X).

Van Lavieren, H., Spalding, M., Alongi, D., Kainuma, M., Clüsener-Godt, M., and Adeel, Z. 2012. Securing the Future of Mangroves. A Policy Brief. UNU-INWEH, UNESCO-MAB with ISME, ITTO, FAO, UNEP-WCMC and TNC. 53 pp.

Picture Citation:

http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1145/650939365_1f80410d53_z.jpg

Proposed Plan: Sell the Air  

The government not only has title to land and sea but also to the air.  They should set up carbon credits, which means they sell rights to pollute the air.  This will enable to the government to cap and control air pollution.  It will also force developers to look at how much they pollute the air, because they need to know how many credits to buy, and re-evaluate this figure, because they are always in favor of costs.  Did you know that preventing and/or reducing deforestation has the most direct and powerful impact on reversing the carbon dioxide in the air?  Too much carbon dioxide emission in the air has lead to climate change, which has drastically negative consequences on the mangroves. 

Mangroves are among the ecosystem that sequester
the most amounts of carbon 

Furthermore, the Fijian government could use the money from the credits to help fund projects protecting and restoring the mangroves.  The mangroves help create clean air, so it is only fair to give back to them.  In both the past in present, Fiji has not been able to implant projects due to lack of funding.  This proposed plan could raise enough money.  Furthermore, Fiji has a lot of untapped potential for tourism and further development.  It is imperative that Fiji approaches its future sustainably in order to preserve its natural environment which it is so dependent on.  

This proposal is largely inspired by the Livelihood Fund.  They have five different projects currently in place, two in India, one in Indonesia, one more in the DRC, and another one in Senegal.  They sell carbon rights and use the money to help improve environmental situations in their respective communities.  This fund is successful largely due to investors.  In just one year, they have positively impacted more than 300,000 people, offset more than 7 million carbon, and restored more than 35,000 hectares.  They have also planted more than 14,000 hectares of mangroves.  This project demonstrates the great potential of carbon investing.  

The table on the left shows that out of all of the eco-systems, mangroves have the highest potential carbon value.  Investing in mangrove carbon is very promising. 













Works Cited:
Bishop, Joshua and Jean-Pierre Rennaud. Wetland and Coastal Carbon: Developing New Asset Classes. IUCN and Danone.

"Livelihoods." Livelihoods Fund. Livelihoods Fund, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.livelihoods.eu/livelihoods-fund.html>.

"Carbon Investment." Carboninvestmentsorg. Carbon Investment, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://carboninvestments.org/>.
Table citations:

http://wetcarbon.earthmind.net/files/IUCN-and-Danone-May-2011-Coastal-and-mangrove-carbon-FINAL.pdf

Sinking and Shrinking Mangroves

       One of the consequences of global warming is rising sea-levels, which will have negatively and will continue to negatively impact the mangroves.  Mangroves exist on the shoreline between the average sea level and the average high tides.  So, rising sea-levels could push mangroves inward.  

Lonely Mangrove

However, if the rate of the sea-level rising is more than the rate of sedimentation, many mangroves will not be able to take the stress and will die.  History has shown that under such conditions, mangroves grow individually. 

       Ocean levels have risen 15cm this past century, and it is estimated that they will continue to rise between 15 and 95 cm by 2100.  Higher sea-levels cause floods, which in turn cause saltwater to flood into fresh water, a drastic change for such an eco-system.  Mangroves will die if the water is too high or too salty.  

        These changes will be too sudden for mangroves to adapt to, and those able to adapt will outcompete the others, leading to a loss of biodiversity.

Flooded Mangrove Forest

       Even if restoration projects are implanted,  sea-levels cannot be controlled isolated, because they are dependent on temperature rising, which is a global problem.  Furthermore, temperatures are expected to rise between 1 and 3.5 degrees Celsius by 2100.  How drastically they rise will determine the severity of the damage rising sea-levels will inflict on the mangroves in Fiji.

       Since Fiji is made up of small islands, if the islands enclose there will be little land left.  As one native said, "we will have nowhere to go."  Recent research in the past two years sets a brim forecast for the Fijian mangroves, suggesting that the mangroves will diminish between 5 and 20%---and this is just from rising sea-levels, one of the many influences on mangroves.

Works Cited:
Noye, John, and Marcus Grzechnik. Sea-level Changes and Their Effects. Singapore: World Scientific, 2001. Print.

Ellison, JC (2010) Vulnerability of Fiji's mangroves and associated coral reefs to climate change. A        Review. In: Global Conservation Organisation National Stakeholders Meeting , 19 March 2009, Suva  Fiji. Other. World Wildlife Fund South Pacific Programme.

Picture Citations:
http://www.ecologyasia.com/images-pqr/pandan-mangroves_8452.jphttp://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/277045/277045,1276342155,1/stock-photo-  lonely-mangrove-tree-55037563.jpg

The Future can Only Begin in 2050.  

       The root of the stress mangroves are under comes from humans demand for resources.  Traditional cultivation of the mangroves was ecologically friendly because it was in moderation and natives were dependent on the mangroves for continual survival.  Today, however, mangroves provide a different kind of resource.  Mangroves are no longer used for mundane necessities.  People are taking advantage of the richness of mangroves in a new way, economically which has led to overfishing, over felling of the trees, and rapid development.  Mangroves across the world are disappearing at a rate between 1 and 2% a year. 

       The greatest hope for the mangroves is a declining rate of population.  Fewer people means less of a demand for resources, which will positively effect mangroves both directly and indirectly.  

      Restoration projects can only do so much.  Trees die faster than they are planted, and new mangrove forests do not have as great of a biomass diversity.  Mangroves are under attack not only from humans directly eliminating them but also global climate changes, which cannot be directly targeted.  However, when we lessen our demand for resources, we will put less stress on our environment.  In turn, the effects of global warming will not be as drastic as they are today and the mangroves can begin to fully recover and begin to return to their natural state.

      This theory leads to the conclusion that mangroves will continue as is for the next 13 years.  Hopefully, by 2025, when the population rate has declined, reverse changes will occur.

Works Cited:

Alongi, Daniel M. "Present State and Future of the World's Mangrove Forests."Environmental Conservation 29.03 (2002): 311-49. Print.

Polidoro BA, Carpenter KE, Collins L, Duke NC, Ellison AM, et al. (2010) The Loss of Species: Mangrove Extinction Risk and Geographic Areas of Global Concern. PLoS ONE 5(4): e10095. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010095

"Coral Habitats - Coastal/Marine - Photo (JPG) - IAN Image and Video Library - Free High Resolution and Vector Environmental Science Images." Coral Habitats - Coastal/Marine - Photo (JPG) - IAN Image and Video Library - Free High Resolution and Vector Environmental Science Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/displayimage-7589.html>.

"Fiji Vacations by Destination World." Fiji Vacations by Destination World. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.destinationworld.com/fiji/>.