The ecological value of mangroves ecosystems includes carbon storage, coastal protection against extreme weather events and erosion, improvement of water quality and wildlife habitat. Although many conservation and restoration efforts have been made in the mangrove ecosystems of Honduras, they continue to disappear at a staggering rate. Shrimp aquaculture, port and urban development, solid waste and agrochemical contamination are some of the human activities that are endangering these ecosystems. In addition, extreme weather events and sea level rise are having devastating effects on mangrove forests.
The forestry and environmental departments of the government of Honduras, ICF (Instituto de Conservacion Forestal ) and MiAmbiente+ (Secretaría de Energía , Recursos Naturales, Ambiente y Minas) are in charge of protecting and conserving these ecosystems, along with the non-governmental organizations that co-manage their protected areas.
A diagnostic study of Honduras’ marine ecosystems was published in 2014 by ICF and USAID’s ProParque project, estimating Honduras ’ mangrove coverage at 73,880 ha. 38,600 ha of mangroves are located in the Gulf of Fonseca and 35,280 are located in the Caribbean Sea. The historical extension of mangroves was estimated at 100,625 ha. Of the 26,745 ha of mangroves lost (more than a quarter), 22,800 ha were deforested for shrimp aquaculture and 2,000 ha for port and urban development. Historical and current data on mangroves extent were estimated based on bibliographic review and geographic information systems.
The dominant mangrove species found in the Gulf of Fonseca and the Caribbean Sea are Rhizophora mangle , Laguncularia racemosa , Avicennia germinans and Conocarpus erectus . Rhizophora racemosa and Avicennia bicolor are also found in the Gulf of Fonseca. It was estimated that shrimp farms are responsible for destroying more than a third of mangroves in the Gulf of Fonseca. Moreover, Germanwatch ranked Honduras as one of the three countries most affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves, etc.) from 1996 to 2015. In fact, according to the Honduran strategy for the integrated management of marine, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, shrimp aquaculture and the impacts of climate change are considered to be very high threats to the conservation of Honduran mangroves. Mangrove conservation, protection and restoration should be environmental priorities in Honduras, otherwise their ecological services are seriously threatened. Preliminary results on metal s and pesticides in mangrove sediment and shellfish will be presented.
An in-depth review of the scientific literature regarding mangroves genomes and transcriptomes, as well as the epigenetic mechanisms associated with tolerance of mangroves to environmental stress and pollutants will be summarized.