| The sectors chosen for shrimp farms are usually mangroves swamps on the coast of Third World countries. Between the Earth and the sea, mangroves protect the coasts and act as nurseries for ocean life. 90% of fish rely on this ecosystem's incredible richness, especially for their reproduction. Over 2 000 species of fish, crustaceans and vegetables thrive there and this is of great benefit to fishermen. In 2004, the Indonesian villages least affected by the tsunami were sheltered by mangroves. Despite this, these mangrove forests have been massively destroyed in Indonesia, in the Philippines, in Thailand, in Brazil, in Ecuador, in Panama… Between 1980 and 2005, tropical regions lost 20% of their mangrove surface area to make room for agriculture and aquaculture. This was a miscalculation in sustainable development terms since a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report in 2006 estimated that the services rendered by these ecosystems was worth between 135 000 and 600 000 euros per year and per km2.
Visit the YAB Gallery for books and signed prints |
.&title2=Shrimp farm, Phang Nga bay, Thailand (8° 23’N, 98° 34’E).&title3= Estanque a gamba, baya de Phang Nga. "download in wallpaper")
Add the gadget "Earth from above" to your iGoogle page and learn every day a new photo