Mangroves and its significance in Climate change:

Mangrove trees are well-equipped to combat climate change, according to a recent study.

• Mangroves are a diverse group of salt-tolerant plant communities in tropical and subtropical regions of the world that can survive the limiting factors of lack of oxygen, high salinity, and daily tides.
• Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone.
• They are included in Type Group-4 Littoral & Swamp Forests.
• Mangroves are flowering trees belonging to the families Rhizophoraceae, Acanthaceae, Lythraceae, Combretaceae and Arecaceae.
  
  
  

• Survival in saline environment: They can survive in extreme hostile environments such as high salt and low oxygen conditions.
• Low oxygen content: The underground tissue of every plant needs oxygen for respiration. But in a mangrove environment, there is limited or no oxygen in the soil.
  • Therefore, the root system of mangroves absorbs oxygen from the atmosphere.
  • Mangroves have special roots called respiratory roots or pneumatophores for this purpose.
  • These roots have numerous pores through which oxygen reaches the underground tissues.
• Surviving Extreme Conditions: With roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy and salty conditions that would quickly kill most plants.
• Succulent leaves: Mangroves, like desert plants, store fresh water in thick, succulent leaves.
  • The wax coating on the leaves seals in water and minimizes evaporation.
• Viviparous: Their seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree. Once the seedling germinates, it grows into a propagule.
  • The mature propagule then falls into the water and is transported to another location where it eventually roots in solid ground.
• Foliar Water Uptake (FWU): A mechanism which help the mangroves to acquire water from atmosphere.

• Mangrove’s special roots, such as buttress roots, pneumatophores, help prevent water flow, thereby improve sediment deposition in areas (where they already occur), stabilize coastal banks, provide food for fish.
• Mangroves moderate monsoon tidal flooding and reduce flooding of coastal plains.
• They prevent coastal soil erosion and also protect coastal countries from tsunamis, hurricanes and floods.
• Mangroves increase the natural recycling of nutrients.
• The mangrove supports numerous flora, avifauna and wildlife.
• They provide a safe and favorable environment for reproduction, spawning and rearing of several fish.
• They supply wood, firewood, medicinal plants and edible plants to the local people.
• They provide numerous employment opportunities to local communities and enhance their livelihoods.
• Essential for climate change: The amazing ability of mangroves to take up water from rain and atmospheric water, makes it a better candidate to answer climate change problems.

Global Distribution:

• According to the Global Forest Resource Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020), 113 countries worldwide have mangrove forests covering an estimated 14.79 million hectares.
• Asia has the largest areas of mangroves, followed by Africa, North and Central America, and South America.
• Oceania has the least amount of mangroves.
• More than 40% of the total mangrove area is found in just four countries: Indonesia (19%), Brazil (9%), Nigeria (7%) and Mexico (6%).
  
  
  

Mangrove profile In India:

• Mangroves cover 4,992 sq km or 0.15% of India’s total area. Of this-
  • 1,475 sq km has very dense mangrove
  • 1,481 sq km, moderately dense mangrove
  • 2,036 sq km, open mangroves
• The largest mangrove forest in India is the Sundarbans in the Ganges Delta. This mangrove is spread all over India and Bangladesh.
• The 2nd largest mangrove ecosystem in India is Bhitarkanika located on the Odisha coast.
• The Godavari-Krishna mangrove forests are located on the east coast of Andhra Pradesh.
• Pichavaram mangroves are in Tamil Nadu.
• Mangrove forests are also found near the city of Mumbai on the west coast.
• They are also found in the Andaman and Nicobar E.g. mangroves on Baratang Island.