The Mangrove Forest background paper by Alfredo Quarto, Mangrove Action Project The Mangrove Forest Probably no other distinct plant community has attracted as much curiosity and scientific attention for as long as have the mangrove forests.
Mangroves are the rainforests by the sea.
The majority of the subtropical and tropical coastline is dominated by mangroves, estimated to cover an area of 22 million hectares. However, over the past several decades, the global area in mangroves has increasingly diminished as a result of a variety of human activities, such as overharvesting, freshwater diversion and conversion to other uses. A Cornucopia of Life Mangrove forests are vital for healthy coastal ecosystems. The forest detritus, consisting mainly of fallen leaves and branches from the mangroves, provides nutrients for the marine environment and supports immense varieties of sea life in intricate food webs associated directly through detritus or indirectly through the planktonic and epiphytic algal food chains. The shallow intertidal reaches that characterize the mangrove wetlands offer refuge and nursery grounds for juvenile fish, crabs, shrimps, and mollusks.