Mangrove trees will be planted along the coast of Parlain Region in Ye Township, Mon State, during December to prevent natural disasters.
U Nanda the deputy abbot of Anndin Village monastery said: "We have already submitted an application for a permit. If we do not get the permit, we will still go ahead and plant the trees as we agreed with the locals.”
He said that villagers from Anndin Village Tract, under the leadership of a regional administration group, had submitted the application letter to the relevant township authorities on 2 August. But, four months after the application letter was sent the villagers have still received no reply. Rather than wait any longer for a reply they have decided to go ahead with the planting.
U Aung Linn, a member of the Anndin Village Farming Management Committee and a leading member of the mangrove planting group explained that it is necessary to have mangroves in the Parlain region because they can stop the river from flooding and damaging paddy fields, as has happened in the past. Rice cannot be grown in the areas that the river floods and in the past 20 years over 700 acres of paddy fields have been abandoned because the river floods and damages the paddy field banks.
He said: "Because [paddy field] banks broke down in the past, new banks were rebuilt 10 years ago. But the banks cannot resist river surges and bad weather, so they often break down. So, we have applied for a permit to grow the trees and will start [planting them] in the damaged farm fields."
Mangroves have the ability to hold soil and prevent erosion. They also provide shelter for aquatic life and allow paddy plants to flourish.
U Nyi Thwe, of Ye Township Social Society Group, who is also an environmentalist said: "Mangroves can take in more carbon dioxide than other kinds of trees. They can also live through temperature rises due to global warming and slow down high storm winds and Tsunamis. These are the benefits of having mangroves."
Last August at a discussion on recent research papers on the subject of ancient Ye City oceanographers said it was necessary for locals to work together to maintain the mangrove trees as they help fish and shrimps to flourish and grow.
At present in Ye township 299 acres of mangrove are already being preserved and maintained by the Ye township Forestry Department, which plans to continue to preserve and maintain them.
Reporter Arkar
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
