Sharjah24 – AFP: On the banks of the dark and murky waters of the Guayaquil estuary, volunteers trudge through mud as they slide wooden platforms.
Onboard are crucial seedlings that could save the 70-kilometer (44 mile)-long polluted artery outside Ecuador's main port city.
Environmental engineer Angela Cevallos is leading efforts to save the estuary with these "floating islands," which are embedded with red mangrove seedlings.
The plant is known for its long roots which can absorb pollutants while helping establish an aquatic ecosystem, allowing other plants and animals to thrive.
"These islands are the transportation mode and the propagules (seedlings) do the work," said Cevallos, who leads the project run by Holy Spirit University, her alma mater.
For decades, tons of rubbish, excrement and heavy metals have been dumped into the water around Guayaquil -- home to 2.8 million people.
But despite several previous conservation efforts and millions of dollars of investment, the estuary continues to be threatened by pollution.
"Guayaquil has grown at the feet of this estuary and we cannot let it die," said architect Patricio Rosero, who designed the biodegradable wooden platforms.
Volunteers carry the two-meter long platforms on their backs one by one to the water's edge.
Ten platforms are tied together using rope made from banana skins.
Half a century ago, fishermen would catch snook and corvina in the estuary, while children would frolic in its natural pools.
Entire neighborhoods were built at breakneck speed, but without a connected sewage system.
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