- Basic survey of mangrove for reforestation in Red Sea coasts of Sudan and Saudi Arabia
（14th Dec. 2011 to 20th Jan. 2012、Republic of the Sudan & Kingdom of Saudi Arabia）
Researcher, Action for Mangrove Reforestation ,Seiji Suda
1. Preface
A basic survey of mangrove for reforestation was carried out in Red Sea coasts of two countries in cooperation with Faculty of Marine Science & Fisheries of Red Sea University in Sudan, Saudi Wildlife Authority. This is the third field survey. The second one is in the northern coast of Sudan in 2011. The first one is in the southern coast of Egypt in 2009. Suda participated in the survey for the first time.
2. Activities
We surveyed conditions of mangrove habitats, such as ground level, salinity of seawater, thickness of soil, camel grazing, development of shrimp pond or salt pan, to confirm factors of suitable place for tree planting in the southern coast of Sudan and the western coast of Saudi Arabia.
In Sudan, nursery technique has not been established. So that, preliminary nursery tests were set in two sites. One is in a brackish water pool of the university. The other is in tidal flats near the nursery of Forest National Corporation. In Saudi Arabia, nursery test has not been scheduled because nursery technique is already developed.
3. Results and findings
In conventional nursery, frequently watering is needed. In new intertidal nursery that we are aiming, two advantages will be expected. One is a high survival rate at the time of transplanting, because seedlings are grown in seawater from the time of sowing. The other is that watering operation is unnecessary, because seawater is naturally given to the seedlings by daily tidal inundation.
Introduction of the intertidal nursery technique was started under this survey. Report from the university, seeds started to germinate at the university in January, and the following nursery test was started at a bay of Port Sudan by the university in March. We hope that nursery techniques will be developed under process of the nursery tests.
In addition, findings from the survey are noted as follows for reference.
- Influence of flood is a mortality factor to mangrove (see photograph).
- Mangrove can grow on rocky environment covered with very thin soil. However, such environment is unsuitable to plant seedlings.
4. Challenges
Challenge for the time being is development of nursery and transplant (suitable season and ground level) techniques in Sudan. Reforestation technique for endangered Rhizophora mucronata will be important also. In addition, developing technique on restoring mangrove destroyed by causeway constructions or floods would be the next challenge
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 ▲Photo3 |
photo1- Preliminary nursery test in brackish water pool in the university (Sudan) photo2- Preliminary nursery test in tidal flats near the nursery of Forest National Corporation (Sudan) photo3- Mangrove trees died after the flood (Saudi Arabia) |