Ecuadorian shrimp production destined for export continues to grow, but the mangrove ecosystem is paying the highest price.

In Ecuador, shrimp farms destined for export are taking the place of mangroves, destroying biodiversity and making it increasingly difficult for local communities to sustain themselves. These communities depend on the forests and their characteristic muddy soil to harvest conchas negras — edible shellfish with an intense flavour. The story is told in a reportage from the country published by the Guardian, featuring interviews with fishermen, activists, researchers, and former workers in the shrimp industry.

Over the past decade, shrimp production in Ecuador has nearly quadrupled, surpassing oil as the country's main export product. Almost all production is destined for China, the United States and Europe, with exports having quintupled following the elimination of tariffs. Production has pushed farms ever deeper into landscapes already scarred by deforestation. Between 1969 and 1999, Ecuador lost up to 43 per cent of its mangroves, and shrimp farms now cover approximately one and a half times the area of the remaining mangroves.

Mangrove deforestation is currently prohibited, and the industry claims that conversion has fallen to nearly zero, despite the dramatic growth in production. Yet residents and scientists report that the destruction of mangrove ecosystems has not stopped — on the contrary, it continues under the pretext of pruning mangroves, digging a canal, or building or repairing embankments.

Data from Trase, a global non-profit initiative for supply chain transparency, show that between 2014 and 2018, 427 hectares of mangroves were converted into shrimp farms, primarily in the province of Guayas, the country's main shrimp farming hub. Another study, based on remote sensing imagery, recorded the disappearance of 2,900 hectares over the following four years, with almost half located within protected areas. In January 2024, a naval military operation reportedly identified a deforested area of 10 hectares within Manglares Don Goyo, in the inner part of the Gulf of Guayaquil — a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

The damage extends beyond deforestation. The canals and embankments of shrimp farms disrupt the tidal currents that keep mangrove soils moist and oxygenated. As a result, the mud can dry out and harden, salinity levels can fluctuate, and the trees can slowly die. In addition, shrimp farms discharge water into estuaries, causing pollution and mass die-offs of fish and crabs.

Despite Ecuadorian law prohibiting the discharge of untreated waste — which can contain organic matter and nutrients from feed, faeces and fertilisers — a 2023 study found that mangrove systems surrounding shrimp farms in Esmeraldas had ammonium and phosphorus concentrations approximately two and a half times higher than those found in normal mangrove water. A Seafood Watch assessment estimated that more than half of farm waste is discharged into the environment.

Currently, there is no political will to enforce strict controls or mitigate these impacts, as the shrimp industry is economically significant for Ecuador; those who speak out are either ignored or risk being subjected to extortion. Some mangrove restoration projects funded by the industry do exist, but there is a risk that these are largely greenwashing operations.

Some local communities have instead launched a form of resistance: residents have planted mangroves in an area once used for shellfish harvesting. Some seedlings were swept away by waves or eaten by snails, while others took root. Where the trees have survived, the mud has begun to soften once more, and one day, perhaps, the wild conchas negras will return.