A platform for action for the sustainable management of mangroves in the Gulf of Fonseca

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Action 6: Collect Data on Key Indicators

There is an alarming lack of data on key biological indicators that describe the health and well being of the ecosystem. There is also a dearth of information on human-environment interactions that provide estimates of the level of use and the demands placed on the ecosystem by its many stakeholders. Without this data, governments and regulatory bodies will not be able to develop monitoring systems or to implement sustainable management initiatives.

One of the findings from the El Salvador and Honduras studies that was echoed by many participants at the March 2000 project conference was the lack of data on key environmental and biological indicators. Few studies exist that estimate mangrove fuelwood and timber consumption or forecast the future demands on the mangrove ecosystem in the region. Little is known about the maximum sustainable yield of woody biomass and fisheries in the mangrove forests and estuaries of the Gulf of Fonseca. There is a dearth of data on the current status of the mangroves: their coverage, density, age structure, and growth patterns. What data exist are scattered and inconclusive and do not provide sufficient detail for the development of parameters to guide the sustainable extraction of mangrove resources. The pronounced lack of data reflects the failure to undertake an exhaustive economic and social valuation of the goods and services provided by the mangrove ecosystem. Generating and collecting the information required to fill these gaps is essential if the stakeholders in the Gulf of Fonseca are to accurately assess the existing pressure on the mangrove ecosystem and develop an operational definition of sustainable mangrove management.

To fill these data gaps national governments need to collaborate extensively with the donor community, as well as with international bodies, the private sector, and local and regional NGOs.^[20] Collaborative efforts need to focus on ensuring the effective dissemination of data and findings through public databases, media, and the internet. Information must reach all stakeholders or stakeholder representatives. Discussion should be promoted among national and international stakeholders (ministries, regional governments, academic institutions, researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and communities) concerned with local development and mangrove sustainability.

Next Steps

» Collect data on ecological processes. In order to operationalize the agreed definition of sustainable management, existing data need to be gathered together and additional data collected on the following ecological variables in each ecosystem:

• Density and coverage by species of different mangrove varieties and maximum sustainable yield of mangrove timber and fuelwood (taking into account the impact on fisheries production);
  
  
• Rate of sedimentation;  
  
  
• Ambient levels of contamination by solid waste, chemical runoff, and human effluent in the estuaries, identifying the source of each pollutant;
  
  
• Inventories of biodiversity;
  
  
•  Estuarine production of shrimp larvae;  Hydrological data on flows and recharge capacity; and
  
  
•  Critical areas where biodiversity is threatened.

The data should rest in a single centralized archive in each country that will be accessible to anyone and freely exchanged between countries.^[21]

» Collect and bring together existing socio-economic data on human-environment interactions. While there is comparatively more ecological data, few studies exist that explore human-environment interactions and forecast key components of the demand for ecological goods and services. The centralized archives should also have data on the following:

• Current and potential demand for fuelwood nationally and at the level of the department;
  
  
• Patterns of resource extraction by both men and women;
  
  
• Feasibility studies that explore the use of buffer zones and secondary forests to supplement the demand for mangrove fuelwood and timber;
  
  
• Research on alternative and appropriate technologies for domestic energy production;
  
  
• Cost-benefit analyses of mangrove management options and the trade-offs between different activities; and
  
  
• Valuation studies of the benefits derived from the use, transformation, and conservation of mangrove ecosystems.

» Collect data that would support integrated ecosystem management and facilitate collaborative transboundary management strategies. Data should be collected on all ex-situ management practices that include upstream decisions about land management, the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides, and the discharge of industrial and organic waste into rivers and tributaries. Regional collaboration will be required between governments from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as the entire mangrove ecosystem is surveyed, and information exchanged about management practices that affect transboundary watersheds feeding into the Gulf of Fonseca. The goal is to promote the development of unified management criteria that reflect the interests of all three nations in the sustainable management of the mangroves in the Gulf of Fonseca. The data collection and exchange could ideally be located under existing initiatives, such as the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, which provide an established forum for collaborative activities to promote sustainable mangrove management.

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[20] International bodies under the United Nations could provide a useful channel for sharing information using existing mechanisms such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora as a pretext for such sharing.

[21] These data could be made available through the Geographic Information Systems that are being established in all three countries with co-financing from the Inter-American Development Bank.

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