Nature is organised in its own unique way and everything in it, is connected to the other in a special web. These webs form ecosystems, where communities of living things interact with one another and with their non-living environment. All ecosystems have their own uniqueness and mystery. The life of oceans, rivers and seas presents a unique world, and the ecosystems of these areas are designed and balanced in a special way to support the coastal as well the terrestrial life around them. A small break in the fragile thread connecting these life forms, disturbs the very nature of life and may lead to the complete annihilation of species.

"when one touches a flower, a star is disturbed"

(Francis Thompson)

One such ecosystem is found in the mangrove belts that surround the coastal areas all over the world. Initially regarded as useless, mangroves have recently emerged as essential ecosystems for coastal areas as they not only serve as breeding grounds for marine and terrestrial life, but also act as guardians of the coast. A special form of vegetation, their most interesting feature is the ability to grow in salt water. This is because mangroves are endowed with special aerial roots and salt-filtering tap roots that enable them to thrive in brackish water (brackish water is less salty than pure seawater). They have special aerial and salt-filtering roots and salt-excreting leaves that have adapted to the salt water and enable them to grow in saline wetlands, something other plant life cannot do.

They belong to a variety of plant families and can be trees, shrubs, palms, grasses or ground ferns, growing in the zone between high and low tides, receiving their nourishment from both the land and the sea. They prosper on mud flats and banks of tropical and sub tropical sheltered coastlines in many parts of the world, usually in the river estuaries. As the river merges with the sea, the mangroves get their supply of fresh water and sediment. Here they trap sediment, which would have gone out to the sea in their roots, thus helping to create new land. At present they cover an area of over 470,000-km2 worldwide. The largest mangrove belts are found in Indonesia and Brazil (2.5 million hectares) and the smallest in the tiny islands of the Caribbean and Sri Lanka (4000 hectares).

Mangroves are amazing trees, which live halfway between the land and the sea. Unlike other plants, mangroves grow with their roots in an alternating environment of seawater and freshwater runoff from land. Very few people regard these insect ridden areas worthy of saving.

Because of their unapproachable terrain and the lack of information about their diversity, mangroves have been saddled with a doubtful reputation. Consequently, they were considered as wasteland and were destroyed to make room for the ever-growing needs of human beings. Adverse effects of growth in population, changes to the climate and industrial and urban development have led to a large destruction of the worlds’ mangrove forests. The rate of decline in the Asia-Pacific region is probably the highest.

According to two reputable scientific studies, mangroves include approximately 16-24 families and 54-75 ((Tomlinson (1986) and Field (1995) respectively) species of mangrove plants in the various regions of the world. 60 – 70% of the tropical coastline is abounding with mangroves. More than 50% of the estimated 47.8 million hectares or 470,000-km2 mangrove forests in tropical oceans worldwide, are found in Asia. However, other estimates suggest a higher number:

"The majority of the subtropical and tropical coastline is dominated by mangroves, estimated to cover an area of 22 million hectares. However, over the past several decades, the global area in mangroves has increasingly diminished as a result of a variety of human activities, such as over-harvesting, freshwater diversion and conversion to other uses."(Snedaker, S.C., University of Miami, Division of Marine Biology and Fisheries, personal correspondence.)

The highest concentration of species is in South East Asia. Some of the species thrive in very saline waters while others like to be very close to a large fresh water source (such as a river). Some prefer areas that are sheltered from waves. The roots of certain species are covered with seawater every day during high tide. Surprisingly many grow on dry land as well.

These essential forests are teeming with life. Waterfowl, crab eating monkeys and fishing cats can be found in many mangrove belts around the world. The mud-skipper is also found in the mangrove. This is a fascinating fish which skips across the exposed soil during low-tide. Mangroves are also prime nesting and migratory sites for hundreds of bird species.