More than 60 percent of Myanmar’s mangroves have been deforested in the last 20 years. This is the conclusion of a new research from the National University of Singapore (NUS) led by Associate Professor Edward Webb and Mr Jose Don De Alban from the Department of Biological Sciences and published online in the journal “Environmental Research Letters.”

Using satellite images and multiple analytical tools, the NUS team was able to assess the extent of mangroves in 1996 and compare it with the current coverage. Over the 20-year period, more than 60 per cent of all mangroves in Myanmar had been permanently or temporarily converted to other uses such as growing of rice, oil palm, and rubber, as well as for urbanization.

The report calls for the Myanmar government to develop holistic strategies to conserve this important habitat. Mangroves account for only 0.7 per cent of the Earth’s tropical forest area, but they are among the world’s most productive and important ecosystems.