Project replants mangroves in the Amazon to prevent destruction and teach how to protect

When thinking about the Amazon, the image that usually comes to mind is of an immense forest, with tall trees, with areas of forest cut by large bodies of water. But there are several Amazonian physiognomies. And many do not imagine that the biome also has rich mangroves.

That’s right: Amazonian mangroves.

When talking about the Amazon, typically mention is made of the biodiversity present there. With its mangroves, it is no different. Especially, animal biodiversity, says Marcus Fernandes, coordinator of the Promangue program, of the Mangues da Amazônia project, and responsible for the Lama (Manguezal Ecology Laboratory), at UFPA (Federal University of Pará).

While forested areas concentrate great plant diversity, the same is not seen in the mangroves. There are only six species — three red mangroves, two black mangroves and one white mangrove — that dominate Brazilian mangroves, says Fernandes.

Expanding a little more and also looking at the transition areas between mangroves and other formations, the vegetation gains richness.

Mangrove plants need to be adapted to survive in areas under the influence of salty sea water. Salt is one of the limiting points for the growth of mangrove vegetation.

But in the Amazonian mangroves the situation is somewhat different, with a highly developed vegetation, with trees that reach up to 40 meters in height, says the UFPA specialist.

“This is a feature of terra firme forests,” says Fernandes, citing mangrove trees in Ecuador that reach up to 60 meters in height. “This is not something you see on the coast, at the edge of the sea, so it’s kind of hard to imagine this lush forest. We always think of a smaller forest.”

And what would explain trees that are so much more developed in the Amazonian mangroves?

According to Fernandes, the huge freshwater basin that bathes the region is one of the factors. In addition, the high levels of rainfall in the Amazon region also help, among other things, to control the salt in the environment.

In other words, says Fernandes, in other mangrove regions, the local vegetation needs to expend much of its energy to survive. In the Amazon, the situation is more favorable for greater investment of resources in growth.

“The larger this mangrove swamp, the greater its carbon stock”, says the researcher.

As part of the Peabiru Institute’s Mangues da Amazônia project, Fernandes has been working with the recovery of degraded mangrove areas. With two years of existence, the initiative, which is sponsored by Petrobras and which has already received funds from the Amazon Fund, frozen by actions of the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, has already planted about 7 hectares and intends to reach 12 hectares by the end of the year. year.

The project operates in three marine extractive reserves in Pará: Caeté-Taperaçu, Tracuateua and Araí-Peroba. That is, they are areas in which there may be some type of exploitation.

Now you may be wondering: aren’t there just a few hectares planted for two years of actions? Especially considering that the region, according to the researcher, has about 8,000 km² of mangroves.

In a way, yes, considering the disproportionately large sizes we find when talking about the Amazon.

But, at least at this moment, there is little threat to the Amazonian mangroves, and the devastated areas are not that wide, says the researcher. It is a preventive action, he says, based on the education of populations that already make traditional use of the mangrove.

“Everyone, from a three-year-old boy to an adult, will plant with us. We play at planting mangroves, which creates responsibility for the system. Understand that you don’t have to cut, but if you need to, he knows how to replant. It’s preventive, it’s environmental education. Replanting is a method of teaching how to protect.”

The project claims to have reached about 6,000 people directly and indirectly. As part of the planting process, nurseries were maintained in the extractive reserves that are part of the project. In addition, areas for the removal of uçá crab and logging were mapped, with the aim of helping to develop management plans for reserves that do not yet have them.

The researcher hopes that, with the evolution of financial mechanisms related to carbon, the mangroves preserved in the Amazon will end up having more money guaranteed for longer periods of time, which could facilitate conservation projects.

Although degradation is not such a big problem in the Amazonian mangroves, there are some problems in common with those in the rest of the country. Among them are the issue of garbage and sewage in the places, the idea that they are unproductive places and a certain prejudice regarding the usually not very pleasant smell of these places rich in organic material.

“The ones that stink the most are the best”, jokes Fernandes, who points out the need to expand the population’s knowledge about the importance of mangroves.