﻿ Mangroves Mangrove swamp  Natural Tsunami Defence  Shortly
before 8am local time on 24 December 2004, a colossal shift of
tectonic plates triggered a magnitude 9.15 earthquake in the
Indian Ocean, 150km off the west coast of north Sumatra,
Indonesia.  The energy released caused the seabed to rise by
several metres, displacing an estimated 30 km3 of water and
triggering a series of devastating tsunami waves. More than
230,000 people perished, and millions were left destitute, as
ten metre high waves struck the coastlines across 13 countries.
Four of these – Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India –
account for the vast majority of those killed. The tsunami razed
entire towns to the ground, sweeping away buildings, bridges,
cars, and, for those that survived its impact, left behind
shattered livelihoods. The fisheries sector was particularly
badly hit: many thousands of fishing boats and gear were lost,
and ports and other landing sites destroyed.  For coastal
communities reliant on farming, the tsunami ruin