Loss of mangrove forests , that provide a protective cover for coastal residents, exacerbates (forværrer) cyclone deaths
BANGKOK, 16 May 2008 (IRIN): Cyclone Nargis – and the devastating tidal surge that followed – has highlighted the potential tragic consequences of pursuing rapid economic expansion while neglecting the environment.
In recent decades, farmers in Burmas low-lying Ayeyarwady Delta cleared vast tracts of coastal mangrove forests to expand rice cultivation and – in the past eight years – to make way for export-oriented prawn farming.
However, according to specialists, the loss of these forests – and the protective cover they offered – probably exacerbated the cyclones toll.
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