Mangrove + Aquaculture: a framework for a sustainable shoreline
research + goals | mangroves | aquaculture |community programs |

 

goals:  
+ rehabilitate damaged shoreline and shrimp farms of Banda Aceh with sustainable aquaculture methods and mangrove forest ecosystems.  
+ devise a program that allows the community to use the shoreline as a resource for farming, education, and economic support  
+ integrate farms with surrounding context  

mangrove ecosystem services:  

+ coastal protection provided by a buffer zone during typhoons and storm surges
+ reduction of shoreline and riverbank erosion
+ flood control
+ nutrient recycling
+ habitat for wildlife
+ community forestry and fishery based economy

 

research:
source:  digital globe
For centuries, mangrove systems have contributed to the well being of coastal communities through their provision of a wide array of goods and services. These products come from forestry and the higher-valued fish, crustaceans and mollusks from fisheries.

Recent media reports have highlighted on the fact that many lives would have been spared if the mangroves were not cut down for aquaculture farms. However, the impact of the tsunami shown in these aerial photos demonstrates the energy produced by the event. Although it is unlikely that mangroves could have significantly reduced the impact of the event, it is true that the coastline must be rehabilitated in a way that reestablishes the health of the shoreline and the economy. 25-80% of mangrove loss in the region over the last three decades have coincided with the shrimp fever of the 1980s. Rebuilding the area with sustainable aquaculture practices will benefit the communities of Banda Aceh.

The beginnings of brackishwater pond culture in Asia may be traced to Madura or East Java in Indonesia. In Indonesia, extensive pond culture integrates mangroves in either the ages-old traditional, or the more recent government-initiated silvofisheries programs. A good example of the former can be found in the Solo-Brantas delta of East Java, and other regions in Indonesia, where tidal wetlands are formed by the complex of ponds which retain mangroves on dikes, as strips between ponds, or in remnant patches inside ponds, ecologically similar to tidal lakes.

Cost-benefit and other financial analysis show that a land-use pattern of 1 tambak : 1 mangrove works well. The traditional ponds may be managed by the tambak operator himself, or by a hired supervisor/employee. During final harvest, the mberi (a customary system of dividing wealth) is practiced, whereby neighboring communities participate, and also receive production shares from the harvest.

 

 

source:  digital globe

 

resources:
Digital Globe aerial satellite images - www.digitalglobe.com