Threats to Mangroves

Nature has blessed India with the world's largest mangrove forest- the Sundarbans. However, extreme human interference could also be a threat that has to be addressed because it's making the mangrove population shrink as their natural habitat faces encroachments.

Mangrove environments are dynamic and cyclical. But human interference is tilting the balance of this ecosystem towards high mortality rates by subjecting them to different types of chronic stressors that inhibit the regeneration capacity of mangroves. as an example, Lenticels within the exposed portions of mangrove roots are highly susceptible to clogging by fuel and other pollutants, attacks by parasites, and prolonged flooding from artificial dykes or causeways.

Mangrove forests have often been perceived as unproductive areas, and mangrove vegetation is cleared to form room for agricultural land, or the event of tourist tractions, or shrimp aquaculture, and salt farms. The argument being that the latter is more "productive" in nature. A blind eye is turned to the fact that the great earnings of shrimp culture are short-lived. the 000 costs in terms of environmental

damage and social disruption are long-lasting and astronomical! During the last three decades, about forty percentages of the mangroves are converted into agriculture or urban centers. the result is that over 35% of the world's mangroves are already gone and also the remaining is being cleared at a rate faster than at which tropical rain forests are being decimated.

To compound the matter, dams and irrigation reduce the amount of water reaching mangrove forests which finally ends up increasing the salinity levels within the mangrove forest. Freshwater diversions might also lead to mangroves drying out. If salinity becomes too high, the mangroves cannot survive. additionally, increased erosion thanks to land deforestation can massively increase the quantity of sediment in rivers. Erosion and deposition cause changes    within the tides and currents, which    successively, have a decent     impact on mangroves.

Overfishing causes an imbalance in world ocean ecology. The ecological imbalance in food chains causes alteration in mangrove fish communities.

Coral reefs provide the first barrier against currents and powerful waves. after they're destroyed, the stronger-than-normal waves and currents reaching the coast can undermine the fine sediment within which the mangroves grow. this might prevent seedlings from taking root and wash away nutrients essential for mangrove ecosystems. Fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxic man-made chemicals carried by river systems from sources upstream can kill animals living in mangrove forests. The surface runoff of herbicides and defoliants applied to the crops pose major pollution problems to mangroves.

Thousands upon thousands of hectares of lush mangroves forest are destroyed to form room for artificial shrimp ponds. Man-made problems arise mostly within the reclamation of mangrove lands for agriculture and prawn culture practices, tree felling for firewood, house and boat constructions, and developmental activities. there's overexploitation of fishery resources especially for the seeds of the tiger prawns. The gastropods and thus the bivalve species are exploited for lime preparation leading to a sharp fall within the biodiversity of these regions.

The mangroves are excellent feed for cattle. The buffaloes, goats, and cows are unchained within the mangrove forests during the summer months. They graze on Avicennia leaves and grasses. Local people also collect the leaves in large quantities to feed their cattle. it's believed that the buffaloes fed with Avicennia leaves produce more milk.

The mangroves are extensively used as firewood as they burn well. plenty of mangrove firewood is approximately loved 2 to 5 many Indian coals and it burns with high heat without smoke. The villagers make their livelihood by cutting the wood from mangroves. Other threats arise due to salt manufacturing practices, replacement of mangroves by Casuarina, Cashew, and other economic crops. water level rise is another major threat too. These unique coastal, tropical forests are now the foremost 

                                                              threatened habitats within the planet.