Potential of the most despised tree in Coast Region.

"I take this opportunity to urge residents residing along the coastline to safeguard mangrove trees to control the emitted carbon dioxide by industries. Although the emission of carbon gas has become a challenge in Kenya and globally, conservation of mangrove trees can be of great importance to restrain the vice.

Mangrove tree cannot be compared with any other tree species in the terrestrial since it has the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide more times than any other tree and I insist that uncontrolled industrial pollution is a great question in climate change regulation worldwide.

Deforestation of mangrove plantation along the sea is a major challenge in fighting excess carbon emitted in the air by various industries and the destruction has also in one way contributed to climate change. People just see mangrove as an ordinary tree like any other but in real science the tree is the best in fighting global warming caused by excess carbon emission. It can sequester carbon gas five times more than a normal tree in the terrestrial but it’s the most unvalued tree everywhere.

Over thirty years ago 95 percent of the coastline was densely covered by mangrove forest but later human activities led to the deprivation, leaving the shores bare and the most affected areas with destruction of mangroves is Tudor and Port Reitz creeks. Both Tudor and Port Reitz Creeks have consecutively lost 87 and 47 percent of the mangrove trees. Surprisingly these percentages represent the highest mangrove deficit rate not only in Kenya but globally. I blame the locals who mostly reside along the creeks for cutting down the mangroves for firewood, building poles and charcoal burning. Before they inhabited the creeks, there was a very rich mangrove cover.

It is very worrying to see government and people fail to protect the mangrove cover along the coastline since it aids greatly in climate change regulation even during times of Tsunami which are caused by heavy tides in the sea. If destruction of such magnitude to the mangrove cover along the coastline proceeds, it is very impossible for people leaving within coast to salvage their properties and also save lives should Tsunami strike because the available mangrove cover may not reduce the powerful tides along the shores. The magnitude of destruction caused by Tsunami is largely determined by the cover along the shores.

Mangroves also have economic advantage because the sequestered carbon through carbon credit can in fact be packed and sold into the existing and emerging international carbon markets and the funds can as well be used to support mangrove conservation and also funding other social-economic projects.

National Environmental Management Authority must enforce available laws to control the destruction of mangrove and other trees along the coastline and other forests in the region. Human activities are big threats to important tree species and the authority must ensure all areas facing mangrove destruction are conserved and those found guilty of illegal deforestation get arrested.

Industrial companies in Mombasa County and the entire Coast Region must also innovate ways of controlling excess emission which originate from combustion of fossil fuels or else face closure and prosecution ."