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Essay / Mangroves and environment - 2239
“If there are no mangroves, then the sea will have no meaning. It’s like having a tree without roots, because mangroves are the roots of the sea…” (AMNH, 2003). Internationally, mangrove communities are recognized as essential to maintaining a diverse and healthy ecosystem. However, since the late 1950s, humans have decimated all mangrove forests by a third (Fidenci, 2007). The World Mangrove Atlas indicates that the decimation of mangroves is occurring “four times faster” than that of woodlands (Cook, 2010). There are a number of impacts as these “highly productive ecosystems” support the coastal and intertidal zones in which they are found (Hogarth et al., 2007). They are invaluable, able to withstand different salinity levels and extreme weather conditions, playing a key role in the biological health and overall diversity of coastal aquatic ecosystems (Wetlands International, 2012). They help purify water, ridding it of potentially toxic pollutants and toxins such as foreign waste and poisons (National Geographic, 2010). Mangrove forests are found in estuaries and intertidal regions, but the vast majority of them are threatened (Polidoro, 2010). The importance of mangroves is highlighted by various factors, regarding environmental, economic and social perspectives. The existence of mangroves is essential to maintaining the environmental health of the ecosystem, with extinction or substantial damage to biodiversity organisms occurring to the exclusion of diverse mangrove species. Mangroves provide habitat and nutrients for diverse flora and fauna, vital protection from predators, shoreline stabilization, and dissipation of wave energy along the coast having medium of paper. ..... aquatic environment. This could be reassessed in a few years, through a mandatory government investigation. Results can be collected and analyzed to ensure the approach works. The research reviewed clearly highlights the benefits and importance of a conserved environment. It is clear that environmentally, economically and socially, it is in the favor of individuals to ensure that mangroves remain the essential ecological systems that they are, allowing them to thrive in the best possible conditions. In analyzing the Cairns dredging project, it is optimal to minimize potential obstructions that may arise and to claim economic and environmental benefits. In conclusion, it is possible to maintain ecologically healthy mangrove systems, while benefiting from economic and social growth, if the limits and strategies are capitalized..