Source: International Maritime Organisation helping to mitigate the impacts of the MV Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius. Image: International Maritime Organisation, CC BY 2.0
Hello! Welcome back to our blog. The recent Mauritius oil spill has brought people’s attention back to marine pollution. There are various concerns, ranging from economic cost, politics, and environmental concerns. One environmental concern that many people are familiar with, may be the impacts of oil spills on animals. For example, birds such as seagulls and pelicans. But do you know about the other impacts of oil spills?
Today, I would like to focus on the environmental impacts that oil spills may have on biodiversity-rich Mauritius. The oil spill occurred off the southeast coast of Mauritius. This meant that the leakage occurred in close proximity to an important wetland that contained rare species, coral reefs, and mangrove forests.
Why should we care?
First, let’s look at mangrove forests. Many mangroves have aerial roots which means that they are exposed. This means that when the oil floats into the mangrove forests and coats the roots, thus suffocating the mangroves. This could mean potentially losing large areas of mangrove forests.
Mangroves are important ecosystems that have a rich biodiversity. They are also important carbon sinks. In fact, they absorb x5 the amount of CO2 compared to tropical forests. They are also nurseries for numerous marine animals such as fishes and prawns. One such species is the goliath grouper, a critically endangered species (IUCN).
Mangroves also provide food and raw materials such as prawns, timber, and firewood for nearby communities. They are thus an important source of income for locals. In addition, mangroves act as a physical barrier against natural disasters such as tsunamis. Losing mangrove forests thus means losing these precious ecosystem services that Mangroves forests provide.
Now, let’s look at coral reefs. It is a known fact that coral reefs are an important habitat for a variety of marine animals. Corals are heavily dependent on sunlight to photosynthesize. Oil does not only block out the light, but it also coats the corals further preventing access to sunlight. To further worsen the matter, oil is toxic to coral’s food source, zooplankton. This means food sources for corals will decrease as well when there’s an oil spill.
Lastly, oil spills can also cause air pollution. Lighter compounds in the fuel may evaporate and release toxins in the air. These toxins can be transported over large distances and harm both animals and humans. The remaining oil sludge can similarly travel over large distances, affecting any animals that it comes into contact with. What is more worrying is that the toxins can bioaccumulate in animal tissues.
From these following examples, we can observe how a single oil spill can have wide and long-lasting impacts on our environment. Here’s a question for you: What are some ways we can prevent or reduce incidents of oil spills? Is it even possible?
Thank you for visiting our blog. Hope to see you again!
Sources:
- Japanese experts warn oil damage could kill mangroves in Mauritius https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/08/25/national/japanese-experts-warn-oil-damage-could-kill-mangroves-mauritius/
- Mauritius oil spill: How coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass could be affected https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/mauritius-oil-spill-how-coral-reefs-mangroves-and-seagrass-could-be-affected/
- Mauritius oil spill: Wrecked MV Wakashio breaks up https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53797009
- Mangroves: nurseries for the world’s seafood supply https://www.iucn.org/es/node/29035
