Mangroves restoration a “huge job” at Popua [1]
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 - 19:52. Updated on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 - 19:56.
An important mangrove area at the mouth of Tongatapu’s Fanga'uta Lagoon that was destroyed in 2017 to make way for a golf course project in Popua, is slowly being restored by the Department of Environment.
Wide-spread earthworks also destroyed a heritage site, during site works for the golf course project that did not eventuate.
Now, the Department of Environement has a massive task of restoring the precious natural habitats of the area, that are vital to the future recovery of the Fanga'uta Lagoon ecosystem.
Since last October, hundreds of mangrove seedlings have been planted in a nursery in the middle of the Popua swamp, as part of the ILAM project, under the Pacific Ridge to Reef Project.
Terrestrial and Mangroves team leader, Hoifua Aholahi and his team work during low tide, picking mangrove seedlings in existing mangrove areas and planting them in the nursery.
“It’s a huge job to restore this area,” said Hoifua.
The mangroves take around five months to grow before they can be removed from the nursery and planted in the area, he said.
Mangroves perform significant ecosystem services in protecting shorelines from winds, waves and floods, preventing erosion and stabilising sediments with their complex dense root systems. According to Tonga’s State of the Environment 2018 report, they also play a part in water quality by filtering pollutants and sediments originating from upstream catchments. Mangroves are also home to a large variety of fish, crab, shellfish and mollusc species.
Hoifua said research shows that 80% of marine resources out there in coral reefs and offshore are dependent on coastal vegetation of mainly mangroves.
The mangrove area in Popua is part of the Fanga'uta Lagoon, which is a breeding ground for fish such as the kanahe (mullet).
The golf course earthworks and other poorly conceived projects have led to the loss of mangroves and marine species vital for local communities.
Challenges with mangrove replanting
The main problem of mangrove replanting in Tonga is to do with management, especially with pigs, said Hoifua.
Pigs roam freely in the area and have caused damage to the nursery fencing and the mangroves in Popua as well as at other similar project sites.
Hoifua said they need the communities to help in managing and conserving mangroves.
“Communities should be aware of what we are doing and where there are sites, to keep the pigs out.”
Apart from pigs being a problem, people have also damaged sites. Recently, the nursery netting in Popua was slashed.
“This is a restricted area. We are not trying to make a problem with the community who walk through here to go fishing on the other side. We just ask that people don’t damage the nursery.”
Meanwhile, another mangrove nursery project is being planned to replace the mangroves that will be cleared for the upcoming bridge project.
Hoifua said all future projects that impact mangroves should integrate replanting them to restore the ecosystem.
- By Eleanor Gee.
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