Nypa-based land uses and ecosystem services in the tropics: A review

Summary

This study reviewed the state-of-the-art knowledge on Nypa fruticans-based (hereafter Nypa-based) land use along with the corresponding ecosystem services that contribute to the wellbeing of mangrove-dependent communities (MDCs) in the tropics. In relation to the land uses, Nypa’s ecosystem service valuation, restoration potential and threats were also explored. Nypa-based land uses documented in tropical countries since the last century include, Natural Nypa Forests (NNF), Nypa Plantations (NP), Nypa-Aquaculture Systems (NAS), and Nypa-Agriculture Systems (NAgS). Even though land use-specific variations were found in distribution, abundance, and ecosystem services provided, it appears that there is the great overlap of reported ecosystem services regardless of Nypa land use. The provisioning ecosystem services of Nypa have been made use of at the subsistence level by man for millennia. These especially include its use as a source of food, fuel, and fiber. Nypa is unique among the many mangroves as being about the only one that has significantly been developed for commercial exploitation beyond the typical destructive harvest for wood and charcoal as seen in most other mangroves. Our review presents new research that has made important inroads in exploring Nypa’s yet untapped commercial potential for livelihood provisioning for poor MDCs. Building further on these pioneering results holds major promise for the development of new sustainable livelihood opportunities for MDCs. The review also shows that Nypa provides substantial supporting, regulating and cultural services. These services have been rarely studied, and Nypa’s contribution to the wellbeing of MDCs are therefore not well-acknowledged. Our review also suggests that at the landscape level, Nypa also holds major promise as a way to rapidly sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, protect coastal areas from weather extremes, rehabilitate abandoned aquaculture ponds and transform aquaculture towards greater sustainability. Therefore, we recommend further intensification of Nypa-based land uses in conjunction with the further development of value-added Nypa products for livelihood support, as well as basic research on the ecological niche-specific suitability of Nypa-based land uses, and their associated ecosystem services.