Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
The Mangrove Regeneration Project
Mangrove forests:
protect coastal areas from 31. ________________ by the sea
are an important habitat for wildlife
Problems:
mangroves had been used by farmers as 32. ________________
mangroves were poisoned by the use of 33. ________________
local people used the mangroves as a place to put their 34. ________________
Actions taken to protect the mangroves:
a barrier which was made of 35. ________________ was constructed – but it failed
new mangroves had to be grown from seed
the seeds of the 36. ________________ mangrove were used
First set of seedlings:
kept in small pots in a 37. ________________
watered with 38. ________________ water
planted out on south side of a small island
at risk from the large 39. ________________ population
Second set of seedlings:
planted in the seabed near established mangrove roots
the young plants were destroyed in a 40. ________________
KEYS
flooding
firewood
fertilizer
trash
sand
gray
hothouse
rain
rabbit
storm
TRANSCRIPT
Section 4.
You will hear part of a student presentation about a conservation project on the Florida coast of the United States.
Today, I’m going to be talking about the first year of a regeneration project in a mangrove forest.
Mangrove forests are found along river estuaries and coastlines and are important because they prevent flooding by acting as a barrier between the land and the sea. The mangrove trees have special roots which can breathe and allow them to survive in thick, airless mud. They are also a very important habitat for wading birds, fish, and other animals.
In the area where the project is taking place, there have been a number of problems since the area was first settled over one hundred years ago. Many of the mangrove trees were initially burnt as firewood by local farmers. The mangrove forests were also poisoned by settlers’ farming methods, because fertilizer was used to increase crop yields and this gradually seeped into the water, eventually killing part of the mangrove forest.
Farming in the area was not successful, and what was left of the mangrove forest was not valued by local people, as crops could not be grown there. As a result, the area began to be used as a place to dump rubbish.
Action was urgently needed to protect the mangrove forest and prevent flooding, so the mangrove regeneration project was set up. The conservationists involved first decided to construct a sand barrier around the forests, but unfortunately this proved to be ineffective. The only way forward appeared to be growing new mangroves from seed.
Several species of mangrove inhabit the forests in this part of the United States, but the project focused on gray mangroves. The seed of this plant is about the size of an almond, and most seeds fall only when they are fully ripe.
The mangrove regeneration project first began three years ago. The first set of seedlings was planted in small pots and left to germinate in a greenhouse. The plants thrived, and large roots appeared at the bottom of the pots.
Ideally, these seedlings should have been conditioned using increasingly salty water before being planted in the sea. However, they had only been watered with rainwater. As the plants were not used to a saline environment, it was decided to plant them on the south side of a small nearby island.
It was hoped that this location would allow the seedlings to become gradually accustomed to salt water, since this part of the island was flooded daily at high tide. Over one hundred plants were planted in this area. It was necessary to protect them not from the many wading birds that visit the site to feed, but from a large colony of rabbits living in the area.
The process used for the second set of seedlings was completely different. Young seedlings were collected directly from the mangrove forest and taken to a new site. They were then planted in the seabed behind old mangrove roots to provide protection. However, this method was not very successful, and the vast majority of the seedlings were washed away during a storm.
Fortunately, the first set of seedlings survived, and this is the method that the project will continue to use in the future.
