A researcher is sounding the alarm over the impact that changes to Kenya's coastline will have on its residents.
What's happening?
According to The Conversation, a study of Kenya's coastline and the mangrove forests that are a prominent feature of it showed that as trees are cut back and lost, it has a profound negative impact on the women who live in the region and operate as tour guides.
Mangroves are hardy, resilient trees that can live in both fresh and brackish water, where freshwater sources meet seawater.
However, the trees require freshwater for their seedlings.
As temperatures warm and sea levels rise, they often find themselves without those freshwater estuaries, resulting in forests retreating further inland or dying off entirely.
Why is the loss of mangroves concerning?
Mangroves are a vital part of the Kenyan coastal ecosystem and play a key role in much of the culture that the female tour guides share.
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They serve as home to aquatic wildlife like crabs and prawns, and they help drive tourism by allowing tour guides to share cooking, trinkets, and other aspects of Kenyan culture with visitors.
The report explained that much of these women's sense of self and cultural heritage lies in preparing and sharing local cuisines, and that this is lost when mangroves and the ecosystems they foster disappear.
On top of that, homes are lost, and people are forced to relocate as the sea continues to encroach on the shore, which impacts local traders who rely on income from beachside trinket sales to survive.
But the issue also hints at a larger global threat: as temperatures warm and ice caps melt, sea levels worldwide rise and encroach on coastal regions.
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$200 or more 💰 In places like the United States, sea levels are rising faster than ever, putting coastal cities at risk.
In the Philippines, islands and cities are already being submerged, and officials are scrambling to find solutions.
What's being done about Kenya's mangrove forests?
Dr. Lucy Ateno, a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research who spearheaded the study, hopes that her work will highlight that the impact of rising seas extends beyond the economy.
Sea level rise has profound human and cultural impacts that must be addressed as well, even as people are forced to relocate from their previous homes.
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