Samantha Guo

Mrs. Nourrie

English 11B

19 April 2022

Mangroves Need to Groove Out

The red mangrove has benefited many areas of the world and the species was

introduced to the Hawaiian Islands with good intentions. However, since its introduction, the

red mangrove has negatively impacted water quality, native species, and ancient Hawaiian

archaeological sites. What would happen if an invasive species were introduced to a new

environment? The Red Mangroves were introduced to Hawaii in hopes to curb runoff from

slopes laid bare by livestock and cultivation. But who would have thought of the things that

would happen to the ecosystem after the plant was planted? This plant, the Red Mangroves,

was introduced to Hawaii with good intentions, but it is an invasive species that is preventing

Hawaii’s ecosystem from being healthy. It does help with erosion, but it comes at a cost. It

also provides shelter to invasive species, and Mangroves brings more benefits to other places

in the world other than Hawaii.

The introduction of red mangroves has different effects on Hawaii’s environment and

other areas. The red mangroves are an invasive species in Hawaii, but in other places, the red

mangroves play a big part of their ecosystem's health. What is an invasive species? Invasive

species is an organism that is not native to a particular area. Angeli Gaberiel says “invasive

species grow rapidly, consuming, adapting, they conquer. Jeopardizing local economies,

threatening human health, and devastating entire ecosystems.” Because invasive species are

free from natural predators or competitors, they are able to develop large population sizes
very rapidly. This is what is happening in Hawaii. The red mangrove has no predators, so the

plant is spreading like a wildfire and there is nothing that is controlling it from spreading.

Angeli Gaberiel states that the reason why a nonnative species was introduced to a particular

area because “the introduction of invasive species is often associated with human activity.”

Since the introduction of red mangroves in Hawaii, the red mangrove has spread

uncontrollably which is destroying ancient Hawaiian Fishponds, destroying the water quality

and harming the native species that live in that area. In areas other than Hawaii, the red

mangrove plays a huge part in their ecosystem. Miththapala stated that:

“There is an estimated 80% of global fishes that are directly and indirectly dependent

on the mangroves. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005, the

mangroves impacted the seafood industry and the annual market value of seafood

from mangroves is to be estimated at 7,500 to 167,500 dollars.”

What Miththapala stated shows some of the benefits the mangrove provided to the ecosystem.

The mangroves not only help provide shelter to 80% of the fishes, but also increased the

annual market value of seafood. The red mangroves harmed Hawaii’s ecosystem while it

helped other area’s ecosystem.

The introduction of red mangrove may help with erosion, but it comes at a cost.

The Heeia Fishpond is located on the island of Oahu, and Heʻeia Fishpond is a kuapā-style

fishpond enclosing 88 acres of brackish water. Hiʻilei Kawelo, the current Executive Director

of Paepae o Heʻeia states that “this fishpond was built approximately 600-800 years ago by

the residents of the area, the kuapā is possibly the longest in the Hawaiian Islands measuring

an estimated 1.3 miles (7,000 feet).” A unique feature of Heʻeia Fishpond is that it’s wall

forms a complete circle around the fishpond majority of the other fishpond walls were either
built in a straight line or as a semi-circle, connecting one point of shoreline to another. Since

the introduction of red mangrove to the Heeia fishponds in 1922, the mangroves have spread

rapidly throughout the fishpond and accelerated the process of silt buildup. To restore the

fishpond back to what it was, they must remove all the red mangroves and repair any

damages. Heeia District Mangrove Remediation stated that “due to Federal permitting

constraints, the roots of the mangrove may not be removed by mechanical means,” which

means that the removal of the red mangroves must be removed by hand. One of the earliest

efforts to remove mangroves began in the early 1980s at Nu`upia Ponds, at Kane`ohe Marine

Corps Air Station on Oahu, where 20 acres of mangrove were cleared to improve habitat for

the Hawaiian stilt. M.J. Rauzon and D.C. Drigot said “the project lasted 20 years, took

thousands of volunteer hours, and cost more than $2.5 million in contract labor. Mangroves

were cleared by hand, shovels, and chain saws in archaeologically sensitive areas and

grappled with heavy tracked equipment in less-sensitive areas.” This proves that although the

red mangroves were introduced to Hawaii to help with erosion, it came at a big cost which

costed $2.5 million in contract labor. Hansen said that some of the negative effects the red

mangrove brought is that “the mangroves have decreased water quality and destroyed nesting

habitats for Hawaii's endangered species.” The decrease in water quality and destroying

nesting habitats is terrible news for Hawaii’s native species. With these factors, it will cause

Hawaii’s native species population to decrease. With the decrease of native species, it will

destroy Hawaii’s ecosystem, and cost a lot of money to repair the destruction.

Mangroves plays an important role in ecosystems around the world except for Hawaii.

In places around the world, the mangrove’s wood is used to build houses, furniture, fences,

boats, and more. In Vietnam, mangroves play a huge role in its ecosystem. Miththapala said,

“90% of the fuel used in Vietnam are from mangrove wood and because the mangrove's salt

glands, the plant is a source of sodium and some of the species' ash is used as soap.
Mangroves are also medicinal plants that can be used for various ailments such as diarrhea,

blood pressure, and angina.” Mangroves also act as a nursery for many young marine fishes.

The juveniles remain in the mangrove habitat until they are more matured and less vulnerable

to its predators. Miththapala stated that there is an estimated 80% of global fishes that are

directly and indirectly dependent on the mangroves. In Vietnam, mangroves play a huge role

in the ecosystem, and for the community by producing majority if the fuel used in Vietnam,

soap, used to treat people’s sickness, and they provide shelter for the young aquatic animals.

Spalding stated that “Mangroves provide a lot of benefits to these countries shorelines as well

as their animals. Because of the massive network of branches, they are able to provide shelter

to animals which allows them to raise their young, used as a permanent residence, and

prevent the strong waves from destroying their shorelines.” This proves that the mangrove

benefits the ecosystem since they provide shelter to the animals, and the vast network of prop

roots protects the shorelines from strong waves. Since the mangrove is invasive and harms

Hawaii’s ecosystem, there is many efforts that are working on eradicating the mangroves.

Angeli Gaberiel says that “because of the impact on human health, ecosystems, and

infrastructure, invasive species cost the global economy over a trillion dollars each year.”

Hawaii has spent thousands of dollars and many hours working to clear the invasive species

of mangrove from the shoreline. For example, Millin and her crew are among the 350 people

in Hawaii currently being paid to do this type of conservation work by a CARES Act-funded

grant. The red mangroves have created a huge problem that is requiring lots of money,

workers, and time to eradicate all the mangroves. The red mangrove brings much destruction

to Hawaii, but in other places in the world, mangroves are necessary for them to have a

healthy ecosystem.

The red mangrove is an invasive species that grows and spreads at a very fast rate.

The intention of introducing the red mangrove is to help with erosion and help retain
sediment during the heavy rains. It was unexpected that the introduction of the mangroves

would cause such a devastating effect on Hawaii’s ecosystem, endangering Hawaii’s native

species. Since its introduction, the red mangrove has negatively impacted water quality,

native species, and ancient Hawaiian archaeological sites. Because humans were the ones

who introduced the species, it is up to humans to remove the species and restore the

ecosystem. A way you can help to restore the ecosystem is to find organizations near you that

help with removing the mangroves and volunteer with your friends and family. Just a few

hours of you day helps contribute to making the environment a better place the future

generations.

Works Cited

Hansen, Mandy, et al. “Invasive Mangroves Produce Unsuitable Habitat for Endemic Goby
and Burrowing Shrimp Pairs in Kāneʻohe Bay, O'ahu, Hawai'i.” Ciencias Marinas,
Universidad Autónoma De Baja California, Instituto De Investigaciones
Oceanológicas, 1 September 2020
Invasive Species 101 | National Geographic - YouTube. Date Accessed 23 February 2022
Spalding, Mark, et al. World Atlas of Mangroves. Earthscan, 2010. Date Accessed March 7
2022.
Miththapala, S. (n.d.). Mangroves. Google Books. Retrieved March 19, 2022, from
https://books.google.com/books/about/Mangroves.html?id=QByaM7LcyDoC