Relief for Malaysian mangrove swamps

New Straits Times 7 Oct 08;

KUALA LUMPUR: As the Earth's temperature continues to rise and the North Pole becomes a permanent island, mangrove swamps on the west coast of the peninsula may just get the break they sorely need.

Malaysian Nature Society communications head Andrew Sebastian said there would be less pollution in the Straits of Malacca, if some of the ship traffic from the narrow waterway between the peninsula and Sumatra was diverted to the Northeast Passage, a water route that extends from Europe's North Sea, along the Arctic coast of Asia, and through the Bering Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

"There will be less discharge from ships, less chance of collisions, fewer chances of oil spills and a smaller chance of ships running aground.

"There will also be less soil erosion along our coastline if there is a reduction in the number of ships plying our waters.

"Wave action plays an important role, especially in the narrower areas towards the south of the straits where ships passing through cause damage to coastal areas."
He said the mangrove ecosystems along the coasts were exhausted and needed a lot of help to recover.

"Soil erosion eats into land areas and coastal ecosystems have to work harder to protect them.

"A lot of them have been cleared for development so anything that lessens the existing swamps' burden is good."

He added that ecological hazards originating in the sea can cause a chain reaction inland.

"For example, if mangroves in Kuala Selangor disappear, the water in the river will get more saline and this will affect the firefly population there. One thing leads to another.

"As we are killing the mangroves from the inside, they are also being attacked from the outside."

Sebastian said the reduced ship traffic in the straits was the only silver lining amid the reality of melting Arctic ice.

Warmer temperatures will cause sea levels to rise and our mangroves will play an even more important role as a buffer against the rising waters.

Universiti Malaya geography department head professor Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said climate change was definitely occurring around the globe.

But, he said the effects of global warming on small countries like Malaysia was difficult to predict as there were too many uncertainties.

"There are many uncertainties. Some models predict less rain, while others predict there'll be more rain. And there are more than 20 models."

"Change will happen, but when and how they will happen is anybody's guess."