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50 years of data show that Madagascar’s mangroves are making a comeback

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Lalao Aigrette has worked to protect the mangroves of her native Madagascar for more than 16 years. Growing up inland, she didn’t see the ocean until she was around 20 years old. But now she works closely with coastal communities via the Madagascan environmental group Bôndy to help them steward the mangrove ecosystems they depend on. “Mangroves are really important for the coastal communities in Madagascar, for their livelihood,” Aigrette said. Now a new study has confirmed that Aigrette’s and others’ hard work has been paying off. Mangroves have been hammered around the world in recent decades due to deforestation, pollution, climate change and other stressors. In 2007, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that the world lost about 20% of its mangrove forests between 1980 and 2005. Madagascar’s mangroves were heavily deforested during that time as well, spurring the government and other organizations to begin adding protections. These efforts are beginning to work. A new analysis of satellite images in Global Ecology and Conservation, dating as far back as 1972, has revealed that Madagascar’s mangroves have been making a comeback, with rates of deforestation slowing over time and mangrove cover actually increasing over the last decade. While these vital ecosystems still face challenges, experts say the results are a sign that Madagascar’s efforts to protect mangroves have been succeeding. Thanks to former employee Lalao Aigrette and partnerships with coastal communities, Blue Ventures planted more than 9 million mangrove trees in Madagascar between 2014 and 2022. Image courtesy of…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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