"Green reconstruction" vital in the aftermath of the tsunami — WWF

The call comes as a UN conference on the vulnerability of small island developing states gets underway in Mauritius in the Indian Ocean — the area severely impacted by the tsunami.

“Healthy ecosystems can save lives,” said Isabelle Louis, Director of the WWF Asia Pacific Programme. “Places that had healthy coral reefs and intact mangroves, which act as natural buffers, were less badly hit by the tsunami than those where the reefs had been damaged and mangroves ripped out and replaced by prawn farms and poorly planned beachfront hotels.”

For example, in the Maldives, it is estimated that the damage from the tsunami could have been much worse if the government’s policy of protecting the network of coral reefs that shield the islands from the open sea had not been so diligent. Similarly, there has been little damage to Sundarbans, in India and Bangladesh, an important tiger habitat with dense mangroves.

As humanitarian needs for food and shelter are met, WWF calls for long-term green reconstruction efforts. They should capitalise on natural defence mechanisms, appropriate coastal zone planning, rehabilitation of habitats, and restoration of sustainable livelihoods.

“Poorly planned coastal development has compounded the impact of the tsunami,” said Mubariq Ahmad, Head of WWF Indonesia. “It is vital that we don’t make the mistakes of the past. We need to rebuild in a sustainable and safe way.”

WWF is recommending that coastal developments are in the future not built within a safety zone from the high-tide mark, and coastal-use planning and policies, including natural disaster risk assessments, are carried out. It is also vital that coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, mangroves, marshes, and forests that buffer the impact of tsunamis are rehabilitated and restored. While WWF recognises the need for local forests to be felled for emergency housing and workplace needs, it is strongly advocating that timber for long-term reconstruction efforts should be harvested from responsibly managed forests. Indiscriminate logging could create other calamities in the future, such as landslides and flooding.

In the short term, it is also imperative that the fisheries sector is reconstructed responsibly as it is the primary source of livelihood for the thousands of communities affected by the tsunami. The global conservation organization warns that if devastated communities are not adequately resourced to regain immediate access to fishing, there is a real risk that opportunistic fishing fleets will move into the region, and further compound their current plight.