To start with basics, mangroves are not mangoes, and mangoes are not mangroves. Some 50 species from across the plant kingdom share a suite of physiological, ecological, and architectural adaptations that enable them to tolerate challenging environments of salt water, tidal inundation, and soils that are low in oxygen. Mangroves, like most swamps, are not always easy to negotiate, and their relative inaccessibility has both protected them from human penetration, and given them a bad rap over the years. But mangrove forests are living laboratories in which to study mechanisms of evolution and ecological interactions among plants and the diverse organisms that depend upon them. Lives and livelihoods with mangroves Mangroves have long been used for timber and wood products.
Mangroves also yield thatch and paper pulp.
The Sundarbans mangroves, for example, the world's largest continuous mangrove forest, encompassing the mouths of the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra in the Indian subcontinent, provide a significant source of lumber and fuel for millions of residents. Foresters of the Indo-Pacific region are becoming adept at harvesting and replanting mangroves on relatively tight rotations of a few decades, but careful stewardship is necessary to prevent leaching of soils and to maintain the productivity of stands. Researchers have reported 740 species of fish in mangroves worldwide. The large and rather delicious crab Scylla serrata, consumed throughout the Indo-Pacific, is found only in mangrove forests, and edible oysters and snails also are harvested from submerged mangrove prop roots. By supporting edible marine species, mangroves contribute significantly to local economies.