Australia is still recovering from the massive coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef, however, its ecosystem gets another blow — the Mangrove population in Queensland is dying.

Scientists are yet to establish an explanation of what could have caused it, but they are certain that the damage covers a large area.

The hot climate coinciding with the dry period of Northern Australia could have triggered the widespread deaths, because there is no other major event, such as cyclone, tsunami or oil spill in the area that could have resulted in such destruction of the mangrove ecosystem, said Norm Duke, a professor from James Cook University and a spokesman for the Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network (AMSN).

Ecosystem At Risk

Mangroves are crucial because they minimize the erosion of shorelines and prevent sediment from going offshore, thus, filtering the inland water before it enters the sea. Without the mangroves, coastal ecosystem like seagrass and corals could vanish as well.

These mangroves also serve as fish sanctuaries. Fishermen have already reported about meager catches along with the diminishing mangrove ecosystem.

Because of their extensive root network, mangroves can store and trap carbon five times more than the normal forest. When they are lost, Duke explained, the carbon would be released into the atmosphere and might intensify global warming.

Close Monitoring Needed

AMSN officials cannot closely monitor such an expansive damaged area because they do not have the funding to do so. They only rely on information from the locals and imaging from Google Earth.

Australia has 7 percent of the world's mangrove population, and Duke fears that if the numbers continue to decline, the ecosystem will be significantly disrupted.

"Once the trees have died, they can only grow back from seedling which may take 20 to 30 years before you get a functioning forest again," said Duke.

Initial observations of the mangrove dieback were presented during the AMSN Conference. Duke said that monitoring efforts should be carried out to establish a baseline condition of the shorelines.

The mangroves in the Indo-Pacific are also being threatened to become extinct by 2070 because of rising sea levels.

While scientists are still figuring out the exact cause of the mangrove deaths, it seems that climate change could be the one to blame.