Mangroves

• Importance

  • Biodiversity: provides a habitat for a wide variety of species such as crabs, shrimps, sponges, fish, reptiles and birds
  • Coastal erosion protection: the vegetation absorb the energy of waves, reducing the impact of storms
  • Fisheries: mangroves provide important nursery grounds for fish and protect them from predators
  • Protection of coral reefs: slows down suspended solids and stops them from covering the corals and absorb chemicals from farmland, stopping the growth of algae
  • Resources: timber for construction and fuel
  • Medicinal resources: traditional herbal medicines
• Threats 


  Although mangroves are often important to local communities, the growth of human populations and the expansion of economic developments such as aquaculture, urban developments and ports cause large-scale mangrove destruction
• Ecological features 


  Mangroves are tropical forests dominated by halophytic trees that live in intertidal areas with saline water.

  They are adapted to survive conditions that are saline, anaerobic and stormy. Extreme temperatures and availability of water