Oman plans mangrove protection against storm

Oman plans mangrove protection against storm By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief GULF NEWS Published: December 09, 2007, 23:20

Muscat: In the wake of tropical cyclone Gonu in June, environmentalists have intensified efforts to create a natural wall of mangrove forest to thwart any tidal threat along the country's 1,700km coastline, said Badr Al Baloushi, an expert in mangrove plantation.

"Mangroves protect the coast from erosion, surge storms, especially during hurricanes, and tsunamis," Al Baloushi, who works for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA), told Gulf News on Sunday.

He said he has visited mangrove plantations in Indonesia, which protected an entire village against tsunami in 2004.

He also pointed out that mangrove forests' massive root system is efficient at dissipating wave energy.

"In Oman," he added, "we have mangrove plantations but most of them are in-land and not facing the sea.

"The basic problem we have is that the saline soil close to the shores is not suitable for growth of mangroves," he said.

Limits damage

According to him, the experts with the Environment Ministry were striving hard to work out a solution so that mangrove forests can be grown facing the sea. "That could help protect areas around shores in case of high tides or cyclones like Gonu."

Al Baloushi said the thick mangrove forest at Qurum in Muscat helped limit the damage in the area when it was flooded by wadi waters and high tides.

"The sediment is different in Oman and hopefully when international experts gather in Oman we will be able to exchange some ideas to explore the possibility of growing more mangrove forests facing the sea," he said.

Al Baloushi said MECA is hosting a three-day regional workshop from today on Transplantation Methodologies and Data Information Management of Mangroves in collaboration with the Regional Organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME).

"Representatives from all the six GCC members states, Iran and Iraq are taking part in the workshop, which will discuss issues related to mangrove plantation and management," he said.

The delegates will also exchange ideas on the advanced methods used in planting mangrove trees in the ROPME area and the importance of a database in scientific management of the trees, he said.

The mangrove expert said that the research being carried out at MECA for plantation of more mangrove forests along the coastal areas will get a boost after the workshop.

Boon: Check on threats

* Growing to a height of five to eight metres, mangroves are among the most productive ecosystems in the world.
* Of the 45 mangrove species in the world, the commonly found species in Oman is Avicennia marina. It is also the main mangrove species on the coasts of the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea.
* Mangroves protect the coast from erosion, surge storms, and tsunamis.