After the Chido natural disaster, the French Mayotte is facing an environmental disaster. The element destroyed much of the plant cover and therefore animal habitat. Biologists fear that it will take at least ten years for the ecosystem to recover.
On December 14, Hurricane Chido hit Mayotte, a French territory located in the Indian Ocean. This element brought heavy rains, strong winds and strong storms that caused a lot of damage. The final death toll remains unknown – authorities have confirmed 31 deaths, but hundreds are missing. Thousands of people were injured and tens of thousands were left homeless.
“No more trees”
The typhoon led not only to a humanitarian crisis, but also to an environmental disaster. Mayotte's vegetation cover was almost completely destroyed – the wind destroyed hectares of valuable mangroves. They play a key role in channeling rain and flood control, and now that they're gone, every rain washes the soil into the sea, covering the bottom with silt. In such conditions, coastal coral reefs deteriorate, leading to the loss of many species of fish, corals and molluscs.
In the land, animals also suffer from the destruction of the forest. Golden poppies, smaller cousins of lemurs, are now becoming more common in cities. They come there to look for food, but they are not fully adapted to living in urban areas. After the natural disaster, the number of local species of bats that act as pollinators in the ecosystem decreased. There are also concerns about the fate of lizards, insects and flowering plants that were once cultivated in Mayotte.
“It's an ecological disaster,” said Raima Fadul, a biologist for the Mayotte Department Council. – There is no more tree. Those still standing have lost their tops. The cyclone flattened all the vegetation.
At least ten years
As Benoit Lussier, regional director of the National Forestry Office explained, the hope for the future is that trees grow very quickly in Mayotte's tropical climate. However, even partial restoration of the ecosystem will take many years.
– Within ten years, the tree plantations can restore the height of the forest up to eight meters, – he said, adding that this will happen only if the former forest areas are not turned into agricultural land.
Such illegal activities took place before the storm, mostly by poor migrants who farmed to support their families. The risk of wild cropping is even greater as crops were also destroyed by Typhoon Chido. Another threat is poaching for subsistence – Mayotte's poorest residents are starving and humanitarian aid is still slow to arrive.
Main photo credit: David Lemore / Abaka / PAP
