The contents of this blog were written by Dr Imi Dencer-Brown and are presented by Amber Baker. Imi is on the ACES Board of Trustees and has studied mangroves and their cultural value in New Zealand as part of her doctoral research. Imi is a mixed methods researcher and lecturer in education working in cross-disciplinary spaces specifically with people and nature.
This blog was written as part of our ‘Conservation’ series which showcases people in conservation and explores upcoming projects and trends.
The socio-cultural value of mangroves – what’s it all about and why is it important?
“When we think of mangrove ecosystem services, we normally relate them to some of the more tangible concepts, such as the provisioning services of food and clean water for both humans and nature. We may also recognise their importance as regulating services, in the roles of flood prevention and protecting against storm damage. As the effects of climate change take their toll on ecosystems worldwide, we understand the plethora of positive attributes these intertidal forests provide, in particular, the enormous below-ground carbon storage capacity of mangroves, in the form of blue carbon.
Lesser known is the socio-cultural value of mangroves. The complexity of human existence and relationships with nature has been little explored in the large body of work of mangrove science, even though it may be pivotal to the deeper recognition of the socio-ecological importance of these ecosystems. Cultural services may include aspects such as cultural identity, sense of home, aesthetic inspiration and a spiritual experience in relation to the natural environment1. As some of these elements are intangible and complex to explain or quantify, it means that this area of research in relation to mangroves is under-researched and poorly understood.
There is such variation in the location of mangroves globally, which range from the United States such as Louisiana and Florida and the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Kyushu in the North, to the most southerly mangrove stands in New Zealand and South Australia. This variation in species and differing levels of degradation mean that humans interact with mangroves in different ways, based on their community needs and societal importance.”
Take New Zealand, for instance…
“Take New Zealand, for instance. Home to a monoculture of estuarine Avicennia marina subsp. australasica. Many of these stands are dwarf mangroves, growing and expanding in harbours and estuaries due to increases in nutrient levels brought about by urbanisation and farming practices. Many people regard these trees as a nuisance, nothing more than weeds, which have obscured the views of the beautiful beaches they had once enjoyed out of their windows.
Their ecological value is not recognised in many cases, making the relationship between humans and nature strained and not positive.”
“Previously, in New Zealand, mangroves were utilised for boat building and recognised as a valuable habitat for kaimoana (seafood) for local iwi (Māori communities).
Whilst some recognition of this may remain, the lack of utilisation and co-existing with mangroves in New Zealand has created a disconnection to nature and with it, a lack of understanding of the intrinsic value of this habitat.”
“Whilst New Zealand might be a very particular case of lack of socio-cultural integration with this ecosystem, many communities in the world do recognise the importance of this habitat to many aspects of human life., however, this has not prevented deforestation and degradation of mangroves globally due to anthropogenic activities such as replacement for aquaculture farms, construction of hotels, urbanisation and overexploitation of wood without sustainable forestry practices.”
Value and monetary value
“We tend to measure the value of goods and services provided by nature in monetary terms, this socio-economic value may be useful in driving forward conservation practices to restore and protect mangroves.”
“Kenyan mangroves are said to be worth around 82 million pounds (200, 473.93 KSH/ha2). Whilst this is an impressive number – what does it actually mean? Where does the money go and how does it benefit local communities? ”
– Dr. Imi Dencer-Brown
“Whilst valuing mangroves as a commodity in this way may influence policy on their conservation, it may not change understanding and awareness of this ecosystem, especially for the local people of the areas who have the closest relationship with mangroves.
In Kenya, the main drivers for loss are the excessive removal of wood for charcoal burning, fishing stakes, fencing and fuelwood, as well as conversion of areas for salt mining and settlement and coastal development. It is recognised in Kenya that poverty, inequalities, lack of education and poor governance have underpinned these losses.3
Communities living close to mangroves and have a high dependency on them for their livelihoods may have a greater cultural connection with these ecosystems and therefore have a high potential to work with conserving mangroves as they directly relate to their livelihoods.
The ongoing success of Mikoko Pamoja and Vanga Blue Forests projects in Kenya has been largely due to the direct stakeholder engagement with conserving these areas and seeing directly how improving the quality of habitat has a positive effect on livelihoods.
For instance, this may be in the form of increased numbers of juvenile fish using the mangroves as a nursery, which in turn allows for larger fisheries yields offshore, creating more sustainable income for families.”
“Mangroves are a cultural fabric to coastal communities, they support our livelihoods and beliefs, protect our homes and lands, and unite us with bordering communities.”
– Mwanarusi Mwafrica, Previous Project Coordinator for Vanga Blue Forest
“Realising the importance and value that mangroves have for communities and respecting and upholding social justice frameworks to empower these communities to conserve and protect mangroves is a necessary step for the sustainable use of and long-term presence of this precious ecosystem in an evermore volatile world.”
We thank Imi for this blog and their insights on the importance of socio-cultural value of ecosystems, drawing from their experience and research in New Zealand. Like many plants that are often considered weeds or pests – based in Scotland, I am thinking of the humble dandelion – mangroves can be viewed in this negative light but upon further inspection, mangroves and other often overlooked species can provide valuable benefits to people and nature. – Amber
