MANGROVES

1. What is special or unique about them

Mangroves can cope with high amounts of salinity by excreting salt through their leaves or by storing it
within their tissues. They have special roots that stick above the ground called breathing roots or pneumatophores
that are partly exposed to the air. This helps them breathe during frequent floods or when there is low oxygen in
the environment.

Their well-developed root systems also help them to anchor firmly on sediments so that they do not get pushed
around during tides and waves. In some mangrove species, roots travel some distance away from the main stem
and branches and penetrate the soil to provide physical support to the plants. These are called stilt roots. These
roots have numerous pores on their surface through which they can take in oxygen.

Harsh conditions make germination of mangrove seeds difficult. Mangroves have coped with this through a unique
way of reproduction known as vivipary where seeds germinate and develop into seedlings while still being attached
to the parent tree! The parent tree supplies water and nutrients and the seedlings float in the water only to develop
roots when they find suitable soil to establish themselves.

Mangrove forests not only provide food security and livelihoods to the coastal communities but also provide
ecosystem services worth $1.6 billion each year. They provide feeding and breeding grounds for crabs, prawns,
mollusks, fish, birds, reptiles and mammals and are important sources of firewood, timber, cattle feed, honey and
medicines. They protect groundwater aquifers from mixing with seawater and play an important role in removing
coastal pollution due to toxic heavy metals. They also guard against natural calamities like tsunamis, storms and
floods.

2. How are mangroves classified?

There are various classifications done for mangroves. One classification puts them into two categories—true
mangroves and semi mangroves or mangrove associates. Semi mangroves are those species that grow at the
periphery of mangrove regions.

Mangroves have also been classified based on three regional factors—(i) geophysical (sea level changes, climatic
conditions and tide characteristics of the region), (ii) geomorphological (sediment characteristics, characteristics of
waves, tides, rivers and the intertidal zone of the region) and (iii) biological.

Mangrove forests are also classified into overwash, fringe, riverine, basin, hammock and scrub or dwarf based on the
mean sea level, hydrology, and forest characteristics of the region. More recently, a simplified classification based on
where the mangrove forests are located like riverine, fringe, and basin has been proposed for mangroves.

Indian mangroves have been categorised based on coastal habitats into:

-Deltaic
-Coastal

-Island

(2)AIM OR OBJECTIVES:

1) To popularise the mangrove conservation amongst the student community.

2) To create trained and technically sound man power.

3) To spread the knowledge of mangrove conservation.

4) Publication of popular book cum field guide on mangroves.

(3)IMPORTANCE OF PROJECT

This project is a small try to spread awareness amongst people about importance of Mumbai mangroves and
protect the mangroves which are rampantly destroyed.

The band of green that separates much of Mumbai’s coastline from the Arabian Sea is almost entirely submerged at
high tide. When the sea retreats, the band becomes visible, in clumps of densely packed trees interspersed with
narrow creeks.

. The Mangroves act as a natural barrier against floods, protect the shoreline from soil erosion, and absorb almost
eight times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than any other ecosystem.

Mumbai, on the west coast of India, has between 35 and 45 square kilometres of mangrove forest. This is all
that remains after almost 70% was destroyed in land reclamation projects

Garbage has been dumped into these intertidal areas, upsetting the salinity of the seawater and choking off
mangrove tree roots. The dumping is a technique to illegally reclaim the land, and subsequently build on it once the
trees have been destroyed. As a result, people tend to associate mangroves with filth and smell,

A mangrove cover of 66 square km cushions the coastline of Mumbai and acts as a natural barrier against sea
level rise and coastal flooding, apart from providing numerous other ecosystem services. The mangroves are under
continuous threat from the consequences of rapid urbanisation and population surge.

The clearing of mangroves in many areas of the city, particularly along the 18-km-long Mithi river, was
cited as one of the main reasons for the unprecedented flooding in 2005. Mangroves act as natural buffers against
flood surges by absorbing impact and breaking the flow of water. Their absence leaves the land vulnerable to
flooding.

Mangroves also store large amounts of carbon, are habitats for many wildlife species, and provide crucial nursery
areas for young fish and crustaceans that are vital for fisheries

The peninsular city facing the Arabian Sea is densely populated with 18.41 million people (Census of India, 2011)
and is one of the city’s most vulnerable to rising sea levels. Erratic rainfall and sea level rise due to climate change
can increase the frequency of coastal flooding in the city. Experts warn that the likelihood of a 2005-like flood in
Mumbai could more than double, and the losses could triple by 2080.

Mangrove forests are among the most productive terrestrial ecosystems.

• Mangroves form very important part of the marine food chain and provide a variety of food for microorganisms,
crustaceans, molluscs and refuge from predators for many species.

• Mangroves help to recycle nutrients in coastal waters as large amount of the leaf litter is shed, being dropped and
then broken down by bacteria and fungi which are made available to the food chain of aquatic animals.

• Tides and currents exchange nutrients with the mangroves, enriching nearby ecosystems such as terrestrial
wetlands, salt marshes, sea grass beds, coral reefs etc. and also the off shore waters.

• Mangroves provide breeding grounds for fish and other marine animals. It constitutes a unique habitat for wild
animals and provides nesting, breeding places for birds.

• Mangroves are also a source of a vast range of wood and non-wood forest products including timber, fuel wood,
charcoal, fodder, honey, pulp, tannin, medicine and thatch etc.

• This ecosystem has a very large unexplored potential for natural products useful for medicinal purposes & also for
salt production, apiculture, fisheries products, fuel and fodder, etc.

• Mangroves also help to control pollution, including excess amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous, petroleum
products, and halogenated compounds. Mangroves prevent these contaminants from polluting the ocean waters
through a process called rhizofiltration

• Mangroves protect coastland by absorbing the energy of storm-driven waves and wind action, creating an effect
of a natural breakwater that helps stop erosion, preventing a great deal of property damage and sometimes even
human death.

• Mangroves also help to trap debris and silt, contributing to soil formation and stabilizing the coastline.

• Mangroves protect the climate by absorbing carbon dioxide and reducing the amount of greenhouse gases. All in
all, researchers estimate the world's mangrove forests provide human communities with many billions of dollars
worth of free services.

• Mangroves also provide opportunities for education, scientific research, eco- tourism and socio-economic studies.
It is essential to systematically conserve the biodiversity in the mangrove ecosystem and manage well for the use of
mankind.