Mangroves are a grouping of trees and shrubs that live in and line the coastal intertidal zone. There are around 80 different species of mangrove trees. There are three different kinds of mangroves, the red mangrove which grow on the oceans edge, the black mangrove which is a bit upland from the reds, and white mangroves which are found at the highest elevations furthest upland.
 |
| The schematic mangrove zonation done by Tom Vierus on www.livingdreams.tv. |
Mangroves grow in all tropical regions of the world where there is shallow, salty water, low-oxygenated soil, and above freezing temperatures. These unique difficult to live in conditions have led to a variety of specialized adaptations. The leaves of the trees are tough and succulent with internal water storage. The red mangroves, the ones on the oceans edge, have prop or aerial roots that provide stability to both the plant and the edge of the land. They also bring oxygen to roots that otherwise would be waterlogged and deprived. Black mangroves have pneumatophores, these finger-like roots projecting straight up from the mud like snorkels, this adaption allows for them to live in the anaerobic mud by bringing oxygen down to the roots. The black mangroves also are able to excrete salt through their leaves making them glisten and white mangroves have a specialized gland in their leaves to be able to excrete salt.
When reproducing, the mangrove seed germinates while it is still on the tree meaning that there is no dormant seed stage. As the seed grows it elongates till it gets large enough that it eventually drops off into the water. Due to its weight distribution it will float upright until the seed finally hits the bottom where it will put out its roots to anchor itself where it will grow into a tree.
Mangroves have many benefits to the environment. Their root system help to stabilize the shorelines and protect the uplands from erosion from wind, waves, and floods. They also act as carbon storage systems.
In Mumbai, the shores once used to be covered in mangroves but those forests were severely degraded from housing developments encroaching on the edge of the land and mismanagement of waste disposals. Mumbai alone has lost about 40% of its mangrove forests in just a few decades from being destroyed for houses to be built or also from the wastes left behind which can clog the roots of the trees allowing for them to not get the oxygen or filter out the fresh water they need.
Mission Mangroves, a project run by NGO United Way Mumbai, is making changes towards protecting the remaining mangroves and planting new ones. Every month volunteers partake in a clean up of the wetlands and twice a week there is planting sessions to restore the forests, which they have already planted 55,000 new trees. United Way Mumbai's director of community impact, Ajay Govale, stated that "the mission is to green 20 acres of wetland by planting mangroves, and to educate thousands of Mumbai people about the importance of mangroves."
India is in the top for countries being the worst at mismanaging plastic wastes and Mumbai is one of the worst cities for air pollution. The destroying of the mangroves has led to this as they help filter pollutants out of the air and can absorb four times more carbon than tropical forests. The loss of the mangrove forests impacted the communities. They served as shelter and breeding grounds for marine wildlife which affected the local fisheries and communities reliant on these marine animals. The loss of the mangrove forests also left the coastlines more vulnerable to be affected by the rising sea levels from climate change and extreme weather causing floods.
In 2005, a flood killed more than 1,000 people. This was a consequence from the city loosing around 40 square kilometers of mangroves in the 1990s. It was after this disastrous flood that Mumbai took action to protect the mangrove forests. They formed "mangrove cell", a government department, that they put in charge of surveying the land and making sure that people did not dump wastes into the wetlands. The mangroves that do remain are protected from housing developments as well.
While they have raised awareness and protection, along with having volunteer groups help to replant the forests in India, more effort needs to be put in around the world to protect what is left of the mangrove forests vital to our coastlines.
 |
| Mangrove forest in Puerto Rico. By Boricuaeddie CC BY-SA 3.0. |
Mangroves have many benefits to the environment. Their root system help to stabilize the shorelines and protect the uplands from erosion from wind, waves, and floods. They also act as carbon storage systems.
In Mumbai, the shores once used to be covered in mangroves but those forests were severely degraded from housing developments encroaching on the edge of the land and mismanagement of waste disposals. Mumbai alone has lost about 40% of its mangrove forests in just a few decades from being destroyed for houses to be built or also from the wastes left behind which can clog the roots of the trees allowing for them to not get the oxygen or filter out the fresh water they need.
Mission Mangroves, a project run by NGO United Way Mumbai, is making changes towards protecting the remaining mangroves and planting new ones. Every month volunteers partake in a clean up of the wetlands and twice a week there is planting sessions to restore the forests, which they have already planted 55,000 new trees. United Way Mumbai's director of community impact, Ajay Govale, stated that "the mission is to green 20 acres of wetland by planting mangroves, and to educate thousands of Mumbai people about the importance of mangroves."
India is in the top for countries being the worst at mismanaging plastic wastes and Mumbai is one of the worst cities for air pollution. The destroying of the mangroves has led to this as they help filter pollutants out of the air and can absorb four times more carbon than tropical forests. The loss of the mangrove forests impacted the communities. They served as shelter and breeding grounds for marine wildlife which affected the local fisheries and communities reliant on these marine animals. The loss of the mangrove forests also left the coastlines more vulnerable to be affected by the rising sea levels from climate change and extreme weather causing floods.
 |
| Affects of the 2005 floods on the city. By PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP |
In 2005, a flood killed more than 1,000 people. This was a consequence from the city loosing around 40 square kilometers of mangroves in the 1990s. It was after this disastrous flood that Mumbai took action to protect the mangrove forests. They formed "mangrove cell", a government department, that they put in charge of surveying the land and making sure that people did not dump wastes into the wetlands. The mangroves that do remain are protected from housing developments as well.
While they have raised awareness and protection, along with having volunteer groups help to replant the forests in India, more effort needs to be put in around the world to protect what is left of the mangrove forests vital to our coastlines.
Comments
Post a Comment