https://reasonstobecheerful.world/mexico-desert-mangroves-carbon-sink/
"The sun sits low in the sky as David Borbón walks from one young mangrove to
another, treading carefully so as not to disturb their roots. A golden glow
lights the plants as he delicately checks for flowers and new growth, removing
strands of dried algae and seagrass that accumulate on the saplings with the
coming and going of tides. Every so often, he lets out a joyful cry upon
finding a new propagule — a small, green bean–shaped seedling — growing on a
tree he has planted: “My grandchild!” He takes out his phone to capture a
picture of the new family member. It has taken him over a decade to get to this
moment — a shoreline filled with thriving mangroves where before there was only
sand — his devotion to his work unwavering.
Back in his boat, we slowly navigate the narrow channels from Borbón’s
mangroves to his nearby home in the small fishing community of Campo Delgadito,
mindful of our course with the dropping tide. Shorebirds scurry on the exposed
mudflats, digging for their next meal. Situated on the Pacific coast about
halfway down the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico, El Delgadito — “the
little narrow one” — is a long spit of land jutting northwest into the mouth of
Laguna San Ignacio. It’s home to 54 permanent residents, with up to 85
inhabitants during the most important fishing seasons.
Borbón first arrived in El Delgadito as a young man in 1980, and he returned
seasonally for the fishing — lobster, sea bass, halibut and clams. “[Back
then], mangroves were just branches that were in the way of navigating to go
fishing. I didn’t have the slightest idea of their importance,” he recalls. By
the time he permanently settled in the community in the early 2000s, he was
hearing stories of overfishing, even in this remote area. Fishermen boated
farther, used more gear and more gas, yet still came back with smaller catches
and smaller fish. Borbón and his wife, Ana María Peralta, could see the changes
but weren’t sure what to do. A conversation with their daughter, who was away
at university, gave them insight into their next steps. She told them what she
had been learning about mangroves: how they prevented coastal erosion, stored
carbon and provided a nursery habitat for myriad fish and crustacean species,
many the same as those Borbón and other fishermen in El Delgadito were
catching. The trees he had barely paid any attention to became the sole focus
of his attention."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
