The shrinking of mangrove forests is hurting the marine ecosystem, a tragedy slowly unfolding in Lamu county. According to a report by FAO Africa’s regional office, Africa has lost at least 500,000 hectares of mangrove forests in 25 years, and the loss might be huge since there is no existing latest data. FAO said the state of depleting hectares of mangrove has received insufficient attention as required whenever deforestation topics are being discussed by environmental stakeholders. Lamu county, being an island, most of its residents depend on the marine ecosystem as fishers and in day-to-day activities. Most of the islands in Lamu use mangrove in building their homes, while some have turned mangrove harvesting into a business by selling the trees to non-residents.

Source: The Star October 13, 2020 01:52 UTC