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Mangrove timber use as an ecosystem service in the Colombian Pacific

  • MANGROVES IN CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS
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Abstract

Mangroves provide ecosystem services for local communities. However, in coastal systems it is yet unknown how human settlements are directly interacting with mangroves. We assessed the use of mangroves as an ecosystem service at Málaga and Buenaventura bays, on the Colombian Pacific coast, by interviewing local communities and examining the impact of mangrove harvest on the structure of the forest, an often overlooked effect. Results showed that mangroves are mainly harvested for their wood. Rhizophora spp. are the main source of wood for fuel purposes, whereas Mora oleifera (Triana ex Hemsl.) Ducke, a mangrove associate, provides 100% of the wood used for the construction of stilt houses. The selective extraction of these species has altered the composition and structure of the forest. Sample sites undergoing harvest have relatively low densities of mangroves; however, one site at Quebrada Valencia shows signs of copious regeneration (>9000 seedlings/ha). Due to the importance of mangroves for the subsistence of coastal communities, and the threat that mangroves are exposed to in Colombia, the management of mangroves should be a priority. Managers must address the sustainability of critical species as part of conservation strategies in order to maintain ecosystem services for local communities.

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Fig. 1

Source Mangrove cover Giri et al. (2011)

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from COLCIENCIAS (Code 1106-659-44115) in call 659 of 2014 “Análisis de la dinámica trófica en dos manglares del Pacífico colombiano mediante el uso integrado de isótopos estables y modelación ecosistémica,”. We thank the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente and the Universidad del Valle for their financial and logistical support during the study, the local communities of Málaga and Buenaventura Bays for their participation in the interviews, and the community leaders for their help during the fieldwork in the mangrove forest, especially the women “Piangueras” for sharing such a valuable experience. We thank Juan C. Mejia for his help with cartography and Enrique J. Peña and Maria del Mar Palacios for their insightful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. This study was presented at the 2016 Mangrove and Macrobenthos Meeting (MMM4), Saint Augustine, Florida, U.S.A.

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  1. Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, Cali, Colombia

    Martha L. Palacios

  2. Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia

    Jaime R. Cantera

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  1. Martha L. Palacios
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Guest editors: K. W. Krauss, I. C. Feller, D. A. Friess, R. R. Lewis III / Causes and Consequences of Mangrove Ecosystem Responses to an Ever-Changing Climate

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Palacios, M.L., Cantera, J.R. Mangrove timber use as an ecosystem service in the Colombian Pacific. Hydrobiologia 803, 345–358 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-3309-x

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