**Wave of Mangrove Disappearance - Crisis on the Southeast Asian Coast 2003**.

**Wave of Mangrove Disappearance - Crisis on the Southeast Asian Coast 2003**.

In the early 2000s, Southeast Asia experienced rapid economic growth and connections to international markets, and the shrimp aquaculture industry in particular exploded as a means of earning foreign currency for export. Along the coasts of Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, mangrove forests that once covered rich mudflats and inlets were cut down to make way for aquaculture ponds and tourism development, in some areas halving their size in just a few years. Mangroves had supported local fisheries as natural breakwaters that protected the coast from storm surges and tsunamis, and as spawning and growing grounds for fish and crustaceans. At the time, the concept of "sustainable aquaculture" was not yet well understood, and many intensive aquaculture operations were conducted without wastewater treatment, resulting in serious water pollution due to the influx of chemicals and foodstuffs. As a result, the phenomenon of "shrimp farming suicide," in which the aquac
ulture ponds themselves become unusable in a short period of time, occurred frequently, and the land was devastated by salt damage and oxidation. It was during this period that international environmental NGOs and FAO sounded the alarm, and mangrove regeneration and community-based management began to be explored.