Mangroves
Mangroves are a diverse
species of tropical woody trees found primarily in intertidal
environments.
Covering an estimated global area of 167,000 km2 to 181,000 km2, mangrove forests protect the shoreline, store carbon, enhance water quality and promote biodiversity by providing food and shelter for fish, marine invertebrates, and birds.
Mangroves are threatened by mariculture (primarily shrimp farming), timber harvest, deforestation due to development, water diversion and over-exploitation. Rising sea levels and erosion also cause mangroves to recede to unavailable or non-existent land margins.
Mangroves are disappearing at a rate of 1 to 2% per year (Duke 2007)
Covering an estimated global area of 167,000 km2 to 181,000 km2, mangrove forests protect the shoreline, store carbon, enhance water quality and promote biodiversity by providing food and shelter for fish, marine invertebrates, and birds.
Mangroves are threatened by mariculture (primarily shrimp farming), timber harvest, deforestation due to development, water diversion and over-exploitation. Rising sea levels and erosion also cause mangroves to recede to unavailable or non-existent land margins.
Mangroves are disappearing at a rate of 1 to 2% per year (Duke 2007)
Mangrove Food Cycle
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Which Goals Does This Affect?
How Was It Measured?
Data on the geographical
extent of mangrove forests is from a global, raster-based, 30m
resolution dataset created by Giri et al.
(2011). The majority of the Landsat images used in this analysis were from
2000. Extent per oceanic region was reported in km2 per
country.
To calculate condition/health of the habitat, FAO (2007) data and extract data were used for 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2005 on a per country basis. The rate of change in condition across this time series was used to determine trend in mangrove habitat.
To calculate condition/health of the habitat, FAO (2007) data and extract data were used for 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2005 on a per country basis. The rate of change in condition across this time series was used to determine trend in mangrove habitat.
What Are the Impacts?
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT
Mangroves remove significant
amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and store it above ground in their leaves and
stems and below ground in their roots. When dead leaves,
stems and roots are covered by sediment and detritus, this
prevents
oxidation
of the carbon they contain. If left undisturbed, buried
carbon can be stored for centuries or longer. When mangrove forests
are damaged or destroyed, that carbon is quickly oxidized and emitted back into the atmosphere
as CO2.
Mangroves take in about 5000 tons of carbon dioxide per kilometer per year. Only about twenty percent of that is released as CO2 through respiration (Lovelock, 2011)
Mangroves provide shelter and food for numerous fish, birds, crustaceans, and other wildlife. High nutrient concentrations in the surrounding sediment, as well as protected spaces created by submerged tree roots, make them ideal nurseries and breeding grounds for many species.
Mangroves take in about 5000 tons of carbon dioxide per kilometer per year. Only about twenty percent of that is released as CO2 through respiration (Lovelock, 2011)
Mangroves provide shelter and food for numerous fish, birds, crustaceans, and other wildlife. High nutrient concentrations in the surrounding sediment, as well as protected spaces created by submerged tree roots, make them ideal nurseries and breeding grounds for many species.
HUMAN HEALTH IMPACT
Mangroves protect human lives [and property] in coastal areas by absorbing the impacts of waves,
tsunamis, storm surges, and floods.
Mangroves can absorb 70 to 90 percent of the energy of a normal wave (Miththapala, 2008).
Mangroves can absorb 70 to 90 percent of the energy of a normal wave (Miththapala, 2008).
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Mangroves play a critical role
in supporting commercial fisheries, improving water quality, and providing fuel
and raw materials.
Commercial logging of mangroves for timber has reached an unsustainable rate in many areas as mangrove forests are not allowed sufficient time to be renewed as a resource.
Juvenile fish find refuge and food in mangrove forests, resulting in higher survival rates and larger adult fish populations. The biomass of adult fish populations in healthy mangrove forests along certain coastlines is much higher than those in mangrove-poor systems – sometimes by as much as up to 25 to 50%.
The global value of the goods and services mangroves provide to humans (e.g. food production, raw materials, recreational fishing, art, education, science, climate regulation, and waste treatment) has been estimated to be as much as $9,990 per hectare, or $1.6 trillion in total (Costanza et al., 1997).
In 2002, mangrove-dependent commercial fish comprised an annual catch of almost 30 million tons (Nagelkerken, 2008). This constitutes approximately a third of the global annual wild catch, as recorded at 89.7 million tons in 2008 (FAO, 2008).
Commercial logging of mangroves for timber has reached an unsustainable rate in many areas as mangrove forests are not allowed sufficient time to be renewed as a resource.
Juvenile fish find refuge and food in mangrove forests, resulting in higher survival rates and larger adult fish populations. The biomass of adult fish populations in healthy mangrove forests along certain coastlines is much higher than those in mangrove-poor systems – sometimes by as much as up to 25 to 50%.
The global value of the goods and services mangroves provide to humans (e.g. food production, raw materials, recreational fishing, art, education, science, climate regulation, and waste treatment) has been estimated to be as much as $9,990 per hectare, or $1.6 trillion in total (Costanza et al., 1997).
In 2002, mangrove-dependent commercial fish comprised an annual catch of almost 30 million tons (Nagelkerken, 2008). This constitutes approximately a third of the global annual wild catch, as recorded at 89.7 million tons in 2008 (FAO, 2008).
What Has Been Done?
Community-Managed Mangrove Forests Provide Incentive & Inspiration
Established in
1986, Leam Markham is a 235-acre community-managed mangrove forest and sea
grass conservation zone in the Trang Province in Thailand. Years of
collaboration between local conservationists, economists, scientists,
grassroots activists, students and citizens have protected mangrove forests
from logging, development and destruction for aquaculture, and seagrass beds
from damage by trawling, dynamite fishing and pushnets. Leam Markham’s success
has led to the introduction of an additional 10 community mangrove forests in
the area, where inter-village committees are responsible for overseeing the
sites and providing management for local resources.
This small fishing community on the Anduman coast relies on mangroves for their existence.Jim Enright/Marine Photobank
In Florida, Legislature Provides State-Level Protection
In 1996, the Mangrove
Trimming and Preservation Act was put into effect, providing legislation to
protect the 555,000 acres of mangroves in Florida. The Act bans the alteration
or trimming of mangroves on uninhabited public land and allows private property
owners to trim mangrove trees in accordance with established
guidelines. The Act has effectively
protected coastal ecosystems by ensuring continued shoreline protection while
simultaneously enhancing coastal economies.
(Environmental Services, 2009) Florida Department of Environmental Protection
(Environmental Services, 2009) Florida Department of Environmental Protection
A thick tangle of mangrove tree roots.© Michael Nichols/National Geographic Stock
Get More Information
Mangrove Action Project (MAP)
A global
network dedicated to the preservation of mangrove ecosystems, MAP promotes the
rights of coastal communities who are dependent upon mangrove forests for
survival.
Global Mangrove Database & Information System (GLOMIS)
This information system is geared towards decision
makers, law-makers, administrators and overall audiences interested in the
sustainable use and management of mangrove ecosystems and species.
References
Naylor, R. L. et al. Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature 405, 1017–1024 (2000).
Sifleet, S. & Pendleton, L., & Murray, B.C. State of Science on Coastal Blue Carbon, A Summary for Policy Makers. Nicholas Institute Report. (2011).
Spalding, M. World Atlas of Mangroves. (Routledge: 2012).
Tsernjavski, N. A B Sea: Cross Curricular Coastal and Marine Studies Planning Guide Level 1-5. (Gould League of Victoria: 2001).
PHOTO(S): © Keith A. Ellenbogen