Dear friends,

 

Once again we find ourselves approaching the annual celebration of Mangrove Action Day,  which will occur on 26 July.

 

This year’s selected theme, which we believe should be promoted to be incorporated into the social awareness in all of our countries, is our right to land and territory. Land and territory are natural resources, oxygen, and possibility for the communities’ self-governance. Therefore, we have decided to call this year’s campaign: “Mangroves, Our Natural Heritage.”

 

It is essential that each one of us assume responsibility for the defense, conservation and recuperation of this severely threatened ecosystem, as it is a heritage of our nations and territory of traditional indigenous communities.

 

Even though international organizations forecasted in the last decades that the devastation of the world’s mangrove ecosystem  was a concluded fact, and that from now on the history of these ecosystems will be written with new rising figures, the reality in our region at this time is completely different.

 

From Mexico to Peru, we receive daily news of pollution, deforestation and devastation of mangrove ecosystems promoted by hydroelectric, tourism and shrimp aquaculture mega-projects. The contamination of estuaries, dredging of their channels’, civil engineering works planned in detriment of these ecosystems and the indiscriminate felling of the forests are a constant.

 

In countries where the white spot syndrome arrested intensive shrimp production for various years, alerting the population about the risks of inadequate management of coastal marine ecosystems, we have witnessed again, since last year, the emergence of this crustacean culture by pressure from  consumer markets, the apathy of entrepreneurs and the governments’ lethargy.

 

In those countries where the loss of  protective barriers to confront natural phenomena was caused by the indiscriminate felling of mangroves, not even floods, tropical hurricanes and cyclones have been able to decrease the destructive spirit of industrial tourism, incapable of turning their eyes towards what happened in Asia just a year and one-half ago, when the terrible tsunami devastated  magnificent tourist facilities and, of course, entire towns.

 

Mangroves are our heritage, our source of life, our livelihood, our place of work, our warehouse … our home.

 

We invite you to join us in this campaign “Mangroves, Our Natural Heritage,” by organizing activities in each one of your countries with the aim of influencing public opinion on the need to protect a highly threatened ecosystem and promote its community management, as well as the right to work for the  traditional communities of this ecosystem.

 

 

Together for our mangroves!