Destructive Activities Threaten Gabon's Mangrove Swamps
2/2/98
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Title: Destructive Activities Threaten Gabon's Mangrove Swamps
Source: CNN
Status: Copyright 1998 by source, contact source for reprint permissions
Date: 2/2/98
LIBREVILLE, Gabon (PANA, 02/02/98) - A leading French
academician has warned that man's destructive activities
posed a threat to Gabon's virgin mangrove swamps.
In a lecture last week, Prof. Jean-Michel Lebigre of the
University of Bordeeaux said that after the destruction of
nearly 130,157 sq km of mangrove forests in Africa, Asia,
America and Oceania, Gabon was the remaining sanctuary of
such swamps.
The lecture was organised in conjuction with the Geography
Department at the Omar Bongo University of Libreville, as
part of the activities under the National Environmental Plan
of Action.
Lebigre mentioned over-exploitation, destructive
construction projects and oil spills as being the major
threat to mangrove swamps, which are natural habitats for
shrimps, crabs and lobsters and safe breeding habitats for
fish.
He urged Gabonese authorities and the population to ensure
protection of these plants which also play a big role in
environmental stabilisation.
Lebigre said although mangrove forests enchroach on land
with their ever-spreading roots, they are nonetheless
fascinating and serve as a vital economic resource, if
exploited in a rational manner.