...Mangroves are ever green forests between land and sea, found essentially in the intertidal zone and occupying large tracts along the shallow coasts, estuaries and in the deltas where they are influenced by tides, widely differing conditions of saline and rainfall regimes. The coastline of Pakistan is 1,050 km long and 40-50 km wide shared by the provinces of Sindh (350 km) and Balochistan (700 km). In the Sindh province, mangroves are found in the Indus Delta which occupies approximately 600,000 ha extending from Korangi Creek in the north to Sir Creek in the South. Indus Delta comprises 17 major creeks, numerous minor creeks and extensive mudflats and constitutes 97% of total mangrove forests found in Pakistan. Mangroves of Indus delta are unique in being the largest arid climate mangroves in the world. The survival of these forests is largely associated with perennial freshwater supplies from the River Indus, which flows through the delta before reaching the Arabian Sea. An area of 344,845 ha of the Indus delta has been declared as protected forests and is under the control of Sindh Forest Department. The Indus Delta is believed to have had as many as eight mangrove species in the past. However at present, only four species have been left. Nearly 95% of the mangroves located in the Indus Delta comprise the species Avicennia marina. Very small patches of Ceriops tagal and Aegiceras corniculatum are found near the mouth of the Indus at Keti Bunder. Rizophora mucronata has...
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...ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT Mangrove ecosystems play an integral role within the stabilisation of coastal intertidal soil by preventing coastal erosion through their complex network of roots (“Teaching about Mangroves, 2013”). Scientifically they are defined as an assemblage of unique tropical plants which are able to survive within variable flooding conditions and withstand high salinity concentration. They do so by a selective combination of structural adaptations such as salt excretion upon leaves, and filtering of absorbed nutrients (“Encyclopaedia of Earth, 2013”). The most healthy and abundant mangrove communities occur in tropical and subtropical areas, between 30o N and 30O S latitude (“Encyclopaedia of Earth, 2013”). An example of a mangrove community presents itself within the Moreton Bay Mangrove community located within South-East Queensland, Australia. The community possesses 8 mangroves species but is predominantly dominated by Avicennia marina (Grey Mangroves) and Aegiceras corniculatum (Black Mangrove) (“Moreton Bay Mangrove, 2013”). The Moreton Bay community provides vital protection and food source for various marine and terrestrial species including wading birds, shrimps and crabs. Structurally it is comprised of coastal environments consisting of numerous river estuaries that extend seaward (“Moreton Bay Mangrove Species, 2013”). 1. BIOTIC INTERACTIONS IN THIS MANGROVE COMMUNITY The biotic interactions...
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...Mangroves are economically important coastal wetlands. These ecosystems provide multiple services to coastal communities including, provision of forestry and fishery products such as food, fuel wood, medicines, and wood products (Bandaranayake 1998, Sathirathai and Barbier 2001, Hussain and Badola 2010, Brander et al. 2012). Various types of mangrove resources extraction for both basic subsistence and commercial commodities have been practiced by local people for decades (Sathirathai and Barbier 2001, Glaser 2003). These practices had contributed significantly to the sustainability and resilience of local economies (Hussain and Badola 2010, Uddin et al. 2013). As an illustration, the natural mangroves of Bitharkanika Conservation Area, in East Coast of India, were contributed to nearly 15 % of the total surrounding household income with an estimated use of around US$ 107 households-1 year-1 (Hussain and Badola 2010). Furthermore the Buswang community led replanted mangrove in the Philippine supported local...
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...Philippine mangrove forests play a highly specialized and intricate role in tropical coastal ecosystems. Mangroves are characterized by a species of tree that have adapted to grow in tidal flats, bordering the ocean. Mangroves thrive in the salty coastal water, where other plant species would die. Aquaculture practices in the Philippines have had negative impacts on mangrove tracts, resulting in more than 337 000 hectares lost since 1925 (Samson and Rollon, 2008). The removal of mangroves for aquaculture creates exponential environmental backlash, as the role of mangroves is replaced with polluting aquaculture. The purpose of this paper is to compare the benefits of aquaculture to the negative effects on mangrove ecosystems. When considering the negative aspects of aquaculture it is also important to provide solutions to help mitigate mangrove damage and destruction. This paper has been organized to first provide a background on mangroves and Philippine aquaculture, specifically brackish water ponds. The second portion of this paper is to provide information on the damages caused by aquaculture unto mangrove ecosystems and the environment. The third portion provides solutions to the problems facing mangrove ecosystems because of aquaculture. This paper looks to inspire and educate on the relationship between aquaculture and mangrove ecosystems in the Philippines. The Benefits of Mangroves Mangroves provide countless benefits to coastal and inland ecosystems. Acting as...
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...1 Mangrove Ecosystem SCI/256 03/08/2013 Susanne Marshal 2 The Mangrove Ecosystem is essential for both the environment and humans, human intervention has damaged this environment and now we are learning to restore it. The Mangrove Ecosystem is a type of specialized coastal wetland found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is characterized by salt loving trees, shrubs and other plants that grow in brackish saline tidal waters. These wetlands are found where freshwater meets saltwater and are infamous for their impenetrable maze of woody vegetation. The Mangrove swamp is inherently a depositional anoxic environment. They can incorporate, trap inorganic nutrients, heavy metals, and pesticides that would otherwise flow to the sea, degrading the quality of coastal waters. Mangrove swamps are also important in regard to shoreline erosion control and ecological productivity. There are three species of the mangrove tree, red, black and white. The red mangrove are easily recognized by its distinctive arching roots because the bottom part of its trunk branches that arch in the air before the entering the water. Black mangrove, often grow more inland, help in supplying the plant with air in submerged soils, it is easy to identify from its belowground roots, gray-brown, pencil-like items that emerge vertically from the mud, their physical stability helps to prevent shoreline erosion, shielding inland areas from severe damage during hurricanes and tidal waves. The intricate...
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...LIVING COASTAL RESOURCES OF THE ASEAN REGIONAND DATA REQUIREMENTS FOR THEIR MANAGEMENT SIGNIFICANCE OF LIVING COASTAL RESOURCES Living coastal resources are found within major coastal ecosystems consisting of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, benthic systems, and estuaries or lagoons. Coastal ecosystems, particularly estuaries and inshore marine waters have the highest rate of primary production as compared to terrestrial and oceanic regions. Daily gross production rate in terms of grams of dry organic matter per square metre area for the narrow coastal band ranges from 10 to 25, with all other regions having substantially lower values (2). The coastal band conveniently thought of as the transition area between land and sea, holdsthis great diversity of ecosystems, each characterized by its own unique ecological feature. Conditions here may be harsh with wide fluctuations in temperature and salinity, but because of the abundance of food supply, these areas can and do support a high diversity of species which have become efficiently adapted to the widely fluctuating environmental conditions. These ecosystems remain productive because of tidal action which circulates food and nutrients rapidly and efficiently and at the same time washes away waste materials. They also serve as efficient nutrient traps of the continuous nutrient input washed down from land. Within these ecosystems, the autotrophic and heterotrophic layers are maintained in close contact so that energy transfer...
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...Anne Kolb Environmental Center Before going to Anne Kolb I tough it was going to be a big swamp with mangroves surrounding it and one not to many mosquitoes, I wasn’t expecting much from an environmental center in the middle of Hollywood, to my surprise it was nothing like I expected it to be. Anne Kolb Environmental Center is located just of A1A and Sheridan St; it’s a great way to escape the hectic world without the need of driving for extensive hours. The 1,400-acre coastal mangrove (up) is home to numerous plants and animals such as fiddler crabs, mangrove crabs and snapping shrimp. White ibis, great blue heron, yellow-crowned night herons, roseate spoonbills, ospreys and kingfishers hunt the shallow waters of West Lake. There is also an exhibit hall featuring a 3,500-gallon aquarium. Without a doubt this is one of the few places on which man has actually helped. Mangroves have been set aside to provide habitat for many creatures, Mangrove leaves, trunks and branches fall into the water and are transformed into detritus, which is the basis of an elaborate food chain. Mangroves provide protected habitat, breeding grounds and nursery areas to many terrestrial and marine animals. Mangroves also provide shoreline protection from wind, waves and floods and this would’ve been wiped out many years ago if it wasn’t thanks to man. Although I live in south Florida this was the first time I saw a crab EVER (previous page). And it wasn’t only one or a couple; once you were able...
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...BACKGROUND Both mangroves and salt marshes occur in the intertidal zone: the area between terrestrial land and open salt water. Areas above high water level are increasingly restrictive on growth, and although some mangroves persist they commonly diminish in size and are soon replaced by saltmarsh communities more tolerant of hypersalinity. PART 1: ABOITIC FACTORS The main abiotic factors that will determine the structure of the salt marsh community are the salinity of the soil, the water content in the soil and the substrate type. The impact these abiotic factors have on the structure is ultimately determined by the topography of the land. The unusual topography of the land determined the salinity concentrations in the soil: the land forms a shallow basin in the center and is surrounded by a slightly higher landform. When the salt marsh is rarely inundated, the water is drawn to the center of the ecosystem due to the abnormal topography of the land. During the process of evaporation, a majority of the water content is removed from the soil and transformed into water vapour, leaving behind highly concentrated salt sediment. Another key abiotic factor is the substrate type. According to the data collected, sites B and D have fairly low water content in the soil, while the remaining sites recorded a much high reading. The soil at sites B and D appeared dry, especially on the surface, and replicated fine grain sand – this particular substrate cannot retain a high water moisture...
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...THE ROLE OF CORPORATE SECTOR AND NGOs IN ADDRESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN PAKISTAN The environment in Pakistan has been degrading alarmingly over the past few decades. Pakistan faces a number of environmental issues like deforestation, water, air, land and noise pollution, depletion of water resources, destruction of arable land of to name a few. The consequences of these issues, as we know from the past, can be devastating. One major issue that every sector needs to address is the depletion of forests and rampant deforestation in the country. Forests in Pakistan are mostly found in mountainous regions of the north and west, with a few mangrove forests along the coastal line of Arabian Sea. Due to an increased demand for wood, forests have been cut down brutally at an average rate of 0.5% of the forest area per annum according to official records (The Pakistan National Conservation Strategy). The corporate sector in Pakistan has played a two-sided role when addressing environmental issues in Pakistan. Where the industrial sector pollutes the environment and disturbs the natural balance of the ecosystem, it also tries to come across as an eco-friendly sector of the society. There are a number of factories which do not consider proper waste disposal procedures and dump untreated wastes into the environment polluting the environment. Organizations in the corporate sector need to maintain a positive image in the public mind. To show that they too care about the environment...
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...Brief synthesis The Sundarbans Reserve Forest (SRF), located in the south-west of Bangladesh between the river Baleswar in the East and the Harinbanga in the West, adjoining to the Bay of Bengal, is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Lying between latitude 21° 27′ 30″ and 22° 30′ 00″ North and longitude 89° 02′ 00″ and 90° 00′ 00″ East and with a total area of 10,000 km2, 60% of the property lies in Bangladesh and the rest in India. The land area, including exposed sandbars, occupies 414,259 ha (70%) with water bodies covering 187,413 ha (30%). The three wildlife sanctuaries in the south cover an area of 139,700 ha and are considered core breeding areas for a number of endangered species. Situated in a unique bioclimatic zone within a typical geographical situation in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, it is a landmark of ancient heritage of mythological and historical events. Bestowed with magnificent scenic beauty and natural resources, it is internationally recognized for its high biodiversity of mangrove flora and fauna both on land and water. The immense tidal mangrove forests of Bangladeshs’ Sundarbans Forest Reserve, is in reality a mosaic of islands of different shapes and sizes, perennially washed by brackish water shrilling in and around the endless and mind-boggling labyrinths of water channels. The site supports exceptional biodiversity in its terrestrial, aquatic and marine habitats; ranging from micro to macro flora and fauna. The Sundarbans...
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...16 km long pluton in the east of the island, the Hinchinbrook Granite, is composed of various hypersolvus granites and intrudes volcanics, granodiorites, and granites.[5][6] The island and coastal ranges are thought to have been thrust up as blocks with subsidence between them to form the coastal plain with the summit level of the island being an older dissected surface that has been uplifted to approximately 1k m or more above sea level. The Hinchinbrook Channel that separates the island from the mainland is considered to be fault controlled. Since the last Ice Age 18,000 years ago sea level has risen. Once there was a significant rugged coastal range, now there is Hinchinbrook Island. To the west is the mangrove-fringed Hinchinbrook Channel with 164 km² of robust mangrove esturaries.[7] The channel is the valley of the Herbert River flooded following the last glacial period.[8] The island is only separated from the mainland at times of high sea-level such as the present and is thought to have had dry...
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...government of Bangladesh took to care for the environment. Key factors in this presentation are: 1. Reducing water contamination due to industrial waste. 2. Stop deforestation in the largest mangrove forest of the world (Sundarbans). 3. Control over the air pollution due to vehicle and industrial emissions. Change No 1: Reducing water contamination due to industrial waste. With rapid growth of industries in Bangladesh, economy had a boost indeed without keeping industrial wastes in mind. Since it is a country with approximately 200 rivers, a much needed change was necessary for the disposal of untreated industrial wastes to reduce contamination of water. With the change of policy by government to reduce water contamination, industries were compelled to use organic waste as a resource. Since then the country has seen a rapid change in Water Ecosystem. Water contamination was a huge threat for the country, if immediate actions were not taken then the whole country would suffer from severe health issues for using contaminated water. Fishery industry would also be at risk as fishery is looked up as one of the main export from Bangladesh. Change No 2: Stop deforestation in the largest mangrove forest of the world (Sundarbans). Sundarbans, being the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is mandatory to keep its serenity. Illegally cutting trees was very much active in this forest, this activities caught the attention of the government and the people of the...
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...Part-1 (About Sundarban) The Sundarbans | | The Sundarbans ('Forest of Sundari trees') are one of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world. It also has exceptional biodiversity, notably about 400 Bengali tigers. Its ever changing landscape is shaped by tidal shifts, rivers and creeks. Brief Description The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest such forests in the world (140,000 ha), lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. It is adjacent to the border of India’s Sundarbans World Heritage site inscribed in 1987. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. Justification for Inscription The Committee inscribed the site under criteria (ix) and (x) as one of the largest remaining areas of mangroves in the world, which supports an exceptional biodiversity with a wide range of flora and fauna, including the Bengal Tiger and provides a significant example of on-going ecological processes (monsoon rains, flooding, delta formation, tidal influence and plant colonisation). Long Description The Sundarbans consist of three wildlife sanctuaries (Sundarbans West, East and...
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...plant has been situated in Bangladesh, India is said to be a part owner of the power station. The proposed project, on an area of over 1834 acres of land, is situated 14 kilometres north of the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans which is a UNESCO world heritage site. A coal based power plant creates an alarming environmental pollution. The emission of toxic sulphur gases and nitrogen gases reduces the air quality in surrounding areas. It destroys the vegetation up to 50 kms from the place of the plant. Thus emission of hazardous gases will increase the local temperature. The result of the operation of the coal plant will give to a huge deposit of ash consisting of residue from heavy metals. Surely, the toxic heavy metals contained in this dumped ash will mixed with rain water and leached in to the ground and contaminated both ground and surface water the impact of which will not be limited to the plant site, rather, spreads through the rivers and cannels of the Sundarbans. This leads to the deforestation of the Mangrove forests situated exactly 14 kms north of the power station. The operation of this plant not only affects the atmospheric environment but also causes noise pollution. Sunderbans is classified as a heritage site as it is the worlds largest mangrove forest partly...
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...Earth's Ecosystem Dilemma The Belize Barrier Reef is a fragile ecosystem that is in danger due to the cutting down of the mangrove forest, improper waste management, excessive development, and oil discovery (Young, 2008). People are the only ones that can reverse the damage that is happening to the largest barrier reef in the Northern hemisphere. Human Role I was taught at an early age that if I make a mess, I clean it up. If humans mess up these threatened regions, then humans should clean them up and preserve them. The same goes for the Belize barrier reef. We should be the garbage man/woman by cleaning up the waste that is spilling into the ocean and stop the deforestation of the mangrove trees. If there is no way the government will stop the oil rigs from drilling then they should not be allowed near the reef system. Middle Ground Environmental groups oppose drilling in and near Belize for fear of the destruction of the barrier reef, the mangrove forests, and the surrounding marine habitat; those who want to drill for oil think it will boost the local economy and help put Belize citizens to work. Putting people to work sounds nice, but why not go one step further and ask the government to place some of the oil money aside for environmental efforts. Intervention The Belize government can come to some sort of agreement with environmentalists in regards to conservation. Different countries governments should not get involved unless the harm being done to...
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