How Much is a Mangrove Forest Worth ???

Sustainable Harvest

Mangroves have been cut for centuries for building lumber, firewood, charcoal production, and bark for tanning.

Kenyan and Tanzanian estuaries
Mangrove poles have been cut for more than 2,000 years for export to Arab countries.

Matang, West Malaysia
The 40,000 hectares of managed mangrove forest yield US$10 million in lumber and charcoal and over US$100 million in fish and prawns every year.

Most economic assessment methods only consider short time scales when valuing resources (3 to 5 years). The growth of mangrove trees varies in different places but they can usually be harvested over a 20-30 year cycle. Direct extractive values of mangroves can be obtained continuously when mangroves are harvested carefully and sustainably, but they lose their value if they are over-harvested.

Fisheries - US$3,400/ha/yr

Mangroves act as a nursery to young fish, crabs, and prawns and a feeding ground for many economically important fish species.

One hectare of mangroves generates 1,100 kg -11,800 kg fisheries catch (3,600 kg as mean), which in developing countries corresponds to a market value of US$900-12,400 (US$3,400 as mean), annually (reviewed by Rönnbäck, 1999, 2000).

Shoreline Protection -  US$1,700/ha/yr

Mangrove forests protect coastal villages from waves & storms.  Although ascribed a value of $1700/ha (Costanza et. al. 1997), countless people have survived tsunami and typhoons by clinging to mangrove trees such as Avicennia and Nipah, making them priceless in terms of dollars.

Non-Timber Forest Products -  US$870/ha/yr

(Costanza et al. 1997)

Honey bees are attracted to the bright red flowers of Avicennia spp. Raising bees in the mangrove can be a lucrative non- timber forest product.

Branches from mangroves can be gathered along the beach or carefully pruned from living trees for fuel-wood or making charcoal.

Mangrove Utilization

SHORT-TERM GAIN               

Short term uses: mangroves are harvested or converted to another land-use for short-term economic gain.

Examples: charcoal industry, shrimp aquaculture, and lumber.

Usually benefit only a few individuals. A mangrove area used for short-term gain will not be of substantial economic value for another 15-30 years while new mangrove trees grow.

LONG-TERM GAIN

Mangrove resources can be managed to provide economic value continuously over a long period of time.

Examples:  capture fisheries in and near mangroves, sustainable harvest of wood for building and biomass energy (fuel wood, charcoal), making traditional medicine, raising honey bees among mangroves, and conservation for ecotourism.

Potentially sustainable uses (implies under appropriate management)
Fisheries products	Agriculture (sugarcane)
Food, Honey	Aquaculture (shrimp ponds)
Medicine	Salt ponds
Construction lumber, Wood chips	Plantations (eucalyptus, sugarcane)
Alcohol (fuel), Charcoal, Firewood	Mining
Riverbank & Shoreline Protection	Industrial development
Flood runoff engineering	Urban development
Paper	Ports, Airports
Recreation (eco-tourism)	Waste assimilation
Education	Road Development
Tannins	Pasture and grazing lands

Mangrove Valuation Brochure (pdf 1 MB)