Guayaquil, Ecuador, sits on the upper stretches of the Guayas River estuary, adjacent to a 235-square-mile (608-sq.-km) network of tributaries and mangrove forests. Since the 1970s, commercial shrimp farms have become commonplace in the estuary, leading to mangrove deforestation. This presents a conflict for Guayaquil, which benefits from shrimp exporting but is the planet’s fourth-most vulnerable city to future flooding due to climate change.
Guayas River Estuary
Guayas River Estuary
Guayas River Estuary
Guayaquil, Ecuador, sits on the upper stretches of the Guayas River estuary, adjacent to a 235-square-mile (608-sq.-km) network of tributaries and mangrove forests. Since the 1970s, commercial shrimp farms have become commonplace in the estuary, leading to mangrove deforestation. This presents a conflict for Guayaquil, which benefits from shrimp exporting but is the planet’s fourth-most vulnerable city to future flooding due to climate change.