Tropical rainforests get all the headlines, but as Pamosh Dhar reports from Hong Kong for Inter Press Service, the world's mangroves are disappearing at a much faster rate.

IN the Malaysian state of Pahang, a 2.000 hectare eel farm cleared mangroves to expand ponds. Villagers nearby suffered water shortages and declining fish catch offshore.

In Bangladesh, businessmen have encroached on mangrove swamps and converted valuable Baddy fields in the Ganges-ramhaputra delta to cultivate shrimps for export. Seepage of salt water has destroyed crops, and the destruction of mangroves where fish breed has decimated fisheries.

Four years after the Earth Summit and 25 years after a special international convention to protect them, the world s endangered wetlands are on the brink of being wiped out.

Shrimp cultivation for export. real estate development, pollution and conversion to farmlands have destroyed mangroves, swamps and wetlands across the world, many say irreversibly.

Often found on coastlines, along river banks or estuaries, wetlands are fragile echo-systems much more vulnerable to human interference than rainforests or grasslands.

But they form a vital link in the food chain of fish, serve as habitat for many rare bird* , mammals and plants and also function as a natural flood control mechanism.

But many degraded wetlands that the Ramsar Wetlands Convention 25 years ago designated as worth saving have been de-Gaded further, while others ve vanished completely.

Specialists of wetlands ecosystems, government officials and environment protection groups met in Brisbane last month to discuss a strategic plan to save what is left before it Is too late

The Strategic Plan for 1997-2002 will Integrate wetland conservation with other environmental issues and help local !opte and villagers take the initiative to protect their wetlands.

The Ramsar Convention. II.lined after the venue ot the

first global wetlands meeting in Iran 25 years ago. is no longer just a "bird conservation" treaty. WWF spokesman Someshwar Singh says. "It is on its way to becoming a much broader-based wetland conservation convention."

Wetlands are permanently or seasonably covered by water, are home to animals and plants which thrive on the wet conditions. They also provide drinking water, are suitable for some kinds of agricultural production and serve as important nurseries for fish.

Of added importance to local communities is the fact that wetlands often serve as a form of flood control by absorbing excess water during rainy seasons.

Every government which is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention is thus required to designate at least one such site to preservation. In Hong Kong, the Mal Po Marshes was only designated tn 1995.

Both Britain. Hong Kong's present colonial power and China under whose rule the colony will revert to in 1997. are signatories to the Ramsar Convention and this has given environmentalists some hope-for the future.

The main gripe of green groups is that ecological conservation has always run a far second to economic development in East Asia, and has resulted in major destruction to marshlands in the region.

Mai Po represents in a microcosm what Is happening across East Asia: the wetlands are threatened by frenetic construction activity on the Chinese side, as well as by reclama tion of the shoreline by the Hong Kong administration.

On both sides, water pollution from factory waste, farming and domestic sewage are all contributing to the demise of the wetlands.

Green groups hope that by increasing awareness of the importance of the marshes, by arranging school tours to the area, they can bring pressure on the authorities Io protect wet-

lands.

Worldwide, there are now 700 designated protected wetland sites. But many that became protected zones after the signing of the Ramsar Convention were already on the decline. and the WWF has reported little improvement in their existing conditions.

Sinc e the turn of the century. Europe has lost two-thirds of its wetlands, including marshes, rivers and lakes. In the United Slates, more than half the wetlands have disappeared.

Many river experts blame the devastating floods on the Mississippi two year ago to the steady removal of wetlands along the river which deprived the river of a natural spill-over area.

Environmental groups say Elovernments often regard wet-ands as wasteland, and are the ' first to be filled over for real estate or industrial development.

"Most developing countries are in danger of following a disastrous course similar to the United States and Europe unless a concerted effort is made now to change direction." Singh says. .

rail prey to laridfiI1in.fiwater diversion, expansion of agriculture and in many cases, conflicts between park managers and local people.

At the Brisbane meeting. WWF urged member countries to the convention to adopt national policies to implement resolutions passed at International meetings.

Other recommendations included a call for letting local communities to help manage their wetlands, and for increases in contributions to a Wetland Conservation Fund.

Developing countries benefit from grants from the Fund to promote their wetland conservation programmes The money comes from contributions irom member countries .inti international development oruanisa-tions