Name: Joshua Gulab Class: Form 4d

Subject: Geography Date: June 9, 2020

Mangrove Assignment

1. Draw a map to show an area of mangrove in your country.

2. How does this mangrove area benefit the environment or support economic
activities?
The area of mangrove on the East Bank Of Demerara more specifically the village
of Grove provides the following benefits:
(i) Environmental Benefits
- The mangroves on the Grove dam helps hold the soil together and prevent coastal
erosion as the waves from the Demerara River may be extremely strong.
- The mangroves also act as a buffer, breaking the force of the waves as they hit
the shore.
- Mangrove generally are known to absorb 5 times more Carbon from the air than
any other tropical plant
- The leaves of the mangrove are also decomposed when they fall into the water
and on the ground creating more nutrient composition.
(ii) Economic Activities
- In the Grove area the mangrove leaves are used by nearby cattle farmers to feed
their cattle as it is said that the leaves contain nutrients that make the meat of the
beef more lean and offer a free food supply limiting cost of care of the cattle.
- Locals also go through the mangroves daily to pick up leaves and other debris to
add to compost heaps which in turn are bagged off and sold as organic manure to
farmers for the enrichment of their soil

3. Is it under threat in any way?

Yes, the mangrove on the Grove dam area are constantly under threat.
- For some time local cattle farmers would burn portions of the mangroves down
inorder to set up places to keep the cattle.
- Recently a pharmacy nearby weekly piles up domestic and pharmaceutical waste
which they in turn light a fire often causing the mangrove to be partially burnt
away.

4. Are any measures in place to protect it?

The Sea Defense Act 1973, The Fisheries Act 1957, The Environmental Protection
Act 1996 and The Forest Act 2010 are all parliamentary passed act that are there
for the national protection of mangrove.
Along with organisations such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) Mangrove
department are there to protect the mangroves but despite all these organisations
and acts the unlawful threats to the mangrove constantly go unnoticed.