Prawn-rearing ponds replace mangroves

In many parts of the world, areas of mangrove forest are being transformed into ponds to rear prawns for food and sale. One example is the west coast of Ecuador, south of Guayaquil. The photograph from 1991 (image 1) shows a coastal region where 143 km2 of low-lying coastal land has been converted into prawn-rearing ponds. In 2001 (image 2), 243 km2 has been converted. By 2001, 80 per cent of the mangrove ecosystem along the stretch of coast had disappeared. Today, Ecuador is the world’s second largest producer of farmed prawns, and a large proportion are exported to the EU. The majority of Ecuador’s mangrove ecosystem is now believed to have been destroyed.

Photo: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team

Published: 2014