Abidjan — Mangroves, it could be said, have perfected the art of multi-tasking. Found along tropical coastlines, these trees and shrubs may prevent soil erosion, while their roots create breeding places for various marine species. So, when a particular mangrove forest is shown to have been reduced by two thirds in less than 20 years, there is major cause for concern.
At the start of the 1990s, the mangroves around Ebrié lagoon in southern Côte d'Ivoire extended over 15,000 hectares. By last year, the area of the forests had shrunk to 5,000 hectares, according to government figures -- a loss attributed to the growing demand for wood on the part of coastal communities.
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