Mangroves

Mangroves are one of the most productive and biologically important blue-carbon ecosystems across the coastal intertidal zone of earth. In the current scenario of serious environmental changes like global warming, climate change, extreme natural disasters, mangrove forests play a vital role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and maintaining ecosystem balance. Mangroves are unique ecosystems with rich biological diversity of different taxonomic groups exhibiting great ecological and commercial importance. The book consolidates existing and emerging information on ecology of mangroves, with a special reference to their biodiversity and management. It emphasizes on the role of mangroves in providing various ecological services. The book is a comprehensive compilation covering all aspects of mangrove ecology. It is useful for students and researchers in ecology, plants sciences and environmental sciences.

Mangroves are distinctive tropical plant communities that occupy the intertidal zone between sea and land. They are of major ecological importance, have economic value as a source of food and raw materials, and serve as a buffer from flooding and climate change-induced sea level rise. Mangroves are under threat from pollution, clearance and over-exploitation, and increasing concern has driven demand for an improved understanding of mangrove species. This book provides an introduction to mangroves, including their taxonomy, habitat-specific features, reproduction and socio-economic value. Fully updated to reflect the last two decades of research, this new edition of a key text includes newly documented taxa, new understandings of vivipary and the evolution of mangrove species, and a rich set of colour illustrations. It will appeal to researchers and students across a range of disciplines, including botany, ecology and zoology.

This book uses five decades of map data, air photos, and medium to high-resolution satellite imagery to track the expansions of aquaculture and the loss of both estuarine and mangrove land covers in Ecuador. The results are staggering. In some regions, Ecuador has lost almost 50% of its estuarine space and approximately 80% of its mangrove forest. The current estuarine land cover bears no resemblance to the historic estuarine land cover. The analysis is complete from 1968 to 2014. The analysis covers all the major estuaries of mainland Ecuador. The research expands beyond purely land cover into the land use of the estuaries and the implications of the land cover transitions. The author lived in Ecuador's estuarine environments for almost two years studying this area. During this time he conducted mapping workshops with local residents, conducted 100 interviews with local actors, conducted six group discussions with fisherfolk syndicates, conducted eight presentations, worked on a shrimp farm. He was employed by the Ministry of the Environment on a Prometeo fellowship for one-year researching estuarine health and worked on mangrove replanting projects in the estuaries. In addition to the remote sensing data, the author provides a contextual framework to the analysis. It is not just hard numbers that are presented, but a remote sensing analysis tied to local actors that tell a coherent almost 50 -year estuarine story at the national, provincial, and local scales The book is intended for researchers, academics, graduate students, NGOs, and government actors including those who work in development, environment, and policy implementation. It is suitable supplemental reading for students in courses related to the coastal zone, land use change, and remote sensing. The electronically supplementary material includes all the related data to underpin the analysis as well as all the resulting GIS files.

This book focuses on the worldwide threats to mangrove forests and the management solutions currently being used to counteract those hazards. Designed for the professional or specialist in marine science, coastal zone management, biology, and related disciplines, this work will appeal to those not only working to protect mangrove forests, but also the surrounding coastal areas of all types. Examples are drawn from many different geographic areas, including North and South America, India, and Southeast Asia. Subject areas covered include both human-induced and natural impacts to mangroves, intended or otherwise, as well as the efforts being made by coastal researchers to promote restoration of these coastal fringing forests.

Mangrove ecosystems are tropical or subtropical communities of mainly tree species which can be found on low, muddy, usually intertidal coastal areas. They cover an area of approximately twenty million hectares throughout the world, with the largest expanses occurring in Malaysia, India, Brazil, Venezuela, Nigeria and Senegal. Mangrove communities are of great ecological importance due to the role they play as habitat builders and shoreline stabilisers. They typically grow in saline coastal soils, which develop through a combination of two processes: mineral sediment deposition and organic matter accumulation. This book presents topical research from across the globe in the study of mangroves, including the eco-biology of mangroves; the mangrove ecosystem of Sundarbans, India; mangrove wetland ecosystem modelling in the Everglades; and the microbial diversity from mangrove sediments.

"This atlas provides the first truly global assessment of the state of the world's mangroves. Written by the leading expert on mangroves with support from the top international researchers and conservation organizations, this full color atlas contains 60 full-page maps, hundreds of photographs and illustrations and a comprehensive country-by-country assessment of mangroves. Included are the first detailed estimates of changes in mangrove forestcover worldwide and at regional and national levels, an assessment of these changes and a country-by-country examination of biodiversity protection. The book also presents a wealth of global statistics on biodiversity, habitat area, loss and economic value which provide a unique record of mangroves against which future threats and changes can be evaluated. Case-studies, written by regional experts, provide insights into regional mangrove issues, including primary and potential productivity, biodiversity, and information on present and traditional uses and values and sustainable management."--Pub. desc.

This is the first comprehensive science-based primer to highlight the unique ecosystem services provided by mangrove forests, and discuss how these services preserve the livelihoods of coastal populations. The book presents three decades of real-time data on Sundarbans and Bhitarkanika mangroves in India measuring carbon and nitrogen sequestration, as well as case studies that demonstrate the utility provided by mangroves for reducing the impact of storms and erosion, providing nutrient retention for complex habitats, and housing a vast reservoir of plant, animal and microbial biodiversity. Also addressed is the function of mangroves as natural ecosystems of cultural convergence, offering the resources and products necessary for thriving coastal communities. The book will be of interest to students, academics and researchers in the fields of oceanography, marine biology, botany, climate science, ecology and environmental geography, as well as consultants and policy makers working in coastal zone management and coastal biodiversity conservation.

This book presents the latest information on tropical tree physiology, making it a valuable research tool for a wide variety of researchers. It is also of general interest to ecologists (e.g. Ecological Society of America; > 3000 or 4000 members at annual meeting), physiologists (e.g. American Society of Plant Biologists; > 2,000 members at annual meeting), and tropical biologists (e.g. Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, ATBC; > 500 members at annual meeting). (American Geophysical Union(AGU), > 20000 members at annual meeting). Since plant physiology is taught at every university that offers a life sciences, forestry or agricultural program, and physiology is a focus at research institutes and agencies worldwide, the book is a must-have for university and research institution libraries.

This valuable book is a comprehensive volume on mangroves, with information accessible to both botany professionals and students. It provides an easy method of identifying mangroves and distinguishing one species from another. What is a mangrove and what are the criteria of mangroves are explained, along with descriptions of distinctions among major mangroves, mangrove associates, mangrove halophytes, and back mangals. Many photos and illustrations are provided, showing the visible features of mangroves. The volume also covers a range of other topics, including habitats and climatic conditions, morphological and reproductive features, how climate change is affecting mangroves and methods of mitigation and conservation. This book is about mangroves, the intertidal coastal forests that struggle every moment against hungry tides because mangroves flourish at the interface zone of land and sea. Like an evergreen forest in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mangroves form definite coastal vegetation, providing protection to people living in such fragile zones against the occurrence of frequent natural calamities. Key features: Introduces important facts about mangroves: definition, early records of mangroves, categorization, and more Looks at the distribution of mangroves worldwide along with features of mangrove habitats and climatic conditions Describes the ecology and environmental conditions, particularly the concept of intertidal zones along estuary positions where tidal flows inundate mangroves Discusses the distinct morphological attributes and reproductive phenology of major mangroves Details the attributes of mangroves, covering a total of 78 species of intertidal flora, including 32 true mangroves, along with their diagnostic features, salient attributes, and illustrations for easy identification Highlights the burning environmental issue of climate change and its impact on mangroves Provides a variety of methods of restoration, conservation, and protection of mangroves

Protection of the environment has nowadays become a major challenge and a condi tion for survival of future human generations and life on Earth in general. Yet it is still far too much of a dream or hope rather than a reality in the policy of our societies. Presently we are experiencing an unprecedented exponential growth of demography combined with a race for profit, resulting in excessive consumption particularly of en ergy, and a serious impact on the world ecosystems. Various types of pollutants and emerging new diseases not only disrupt the normal course of life, but also above this some of the atmospheric pollutants are most likely involved in the changing climate. We fear and literally shiver at the thought that the "changing climate" would ultimately disrupt the fragile thermodynamic equilibrium between the atmosphere and the oceans. Are we insensitive to these facts to the point of pushing our descendants, some genera tions ahead, into a new glacial period after a first period of warming up, at least, in northern Europe, like the one that took place 13 to 14 millennia ago? Surely the planet's nature is not prepared to be dominated by man and will go its way, whether humanity will be alive or dead.