Mangroves for Building Resilience to Climate Change

R.N. Mandal, R. Bar

• Publisher: Apple Academic Press
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781771887168
• eBook ISBN: 9780429946967
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Botany
• Index: Biological Sciences

This valuable book is a comprehensive volume on mangroves, with information accessible to both botany professionals and students. It provides an easy method of identifying mangroves and distinguishing one species from another. What is a mangrove and what are the criteria of mangroves are explained, along with descriptions of distinctions among major mangroves, mangrove associates, mangrove halophytes, and back mangals. Many photos and illustrations are provided, showing the visible features of mangroves. The volume also covers a range of other topics, including habitats and climatic conditions, morphological and reproductive features, how climate change is affecting mangroves and methods of mitigation and conservation.

This book is about mangroves, the intertidal coastal forests that struggle every moment against hungry tides because mangroves flourish at the interface zone of land and sea. Like an evergreen forest in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mangroves form definite coastal vegetation, providing protection to people living in such fragile zones against the occurrence of frequent natural calamities.

Key features:

• Introduces important facts about mangroves: definition, early records of mangroves, categorization, and more
• Looks at the distribution of mangroves worldwide along with features of mangrove habitats and climatic conditions
• Describes the ecology and environmental conditions, particularly the concept of intertidal zones along estuary positions where tidal flows inundate mangroves
• Discusses the distinct morphological attributes and reproductive phenology of major mangroves
• Details the attributes of mangroves, covering a total of 78 species of intertidal flora, including 32 true mangroves, along with their diagnostic features, salient attributes, and illustrations for easy identification
• Highlights the burning environmental issue of climate change and its impact on mangroves
• Provides a variety of methods of restoration, conservation, and protection of mangroves

CONTENTS

Abbreviations

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgment

1 Mangrove and its History

2 Distribution and Diversity of Mangroves

3 Ecology and Succession of Mangroves

4 Adaptation and Phenology of Mangroves

5 Classification and Identification of Mangroves

6 Climate Change Response and Management of Mangroves

7 Management and Conservation of mangroves

Bibliography

Glossary

Index

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AEP	Atlantic-East Pacific
AFLP	amplified fragment length polymorphism
Arab	Arabic
B	Bengali
Bo	Bombay State
BSI	Botanical Survey of India
C	criteria
CL	consolidated land
CR	critically endangered
DA	data assessed
DD	data deficient
DS	downstream
E	English
EN	endangered
GIS	geographic information systems
GMSL	global mean sea level
GPS	Geographical positioning system
Guj	Gujarati
H	Hindi
HT	high tide
IPCC	Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change
IWP	Indo-West Pacific
Kan	Kanari
LC	least concern
LT	low tide
M	Madras state
Ma	Marathi
Mal	Malayalam
ML	mudflat land
MS	midstream
MSL	mean sea level
MT	medium tide
NT	near threatened
NTFP	non-timber forest product
Odi	Oriya
P	Panjabi
RLC	Red List category
RMD	relative mangrove diversity
S	Sanskrit
SET-MH	surface elevation table - marker horizon
SL	stable land
SLR	sea-level rise
T. S.	transverse section
Tam	Tamil
Tel	Telegu
US	upstream
VN	vernacular name
VU	vulnerable
YP	year published

Foreword

Mangroves are a fascinating group of plants that occur on tropical and subtropical shorelines of all continents. Here, they are exposed to daily saltwater flushing, generally low oxygen levels around their roots, high light and temperature conditions, and periodic tropical storms. Despite these harsh conditions, mangroves may form luxuriant forests that have significant economic and environmental value to coastal communities throughout the world. Yet, mangroves are threatened around the world: in some regions, the threat comes from the immediate pressures of subsistence exploitation, but in other regions, the threat arises from a failure of the general community, and particularly of decision-makers, to truly appreciate the value of these coastal communities. The failure to recognize the economic and ecological value of mangroves in terms of direct products, indirect products, and the amenities or ‘free services’ they provide has resulted in an attitude that these communities are wastelands, that, in turn, can be converted to ‘better’ usage. In addition, the failure of scientists to undertake appropriate research and then communicate convincingly those findings to the public and the decision-makers must also receive some share of the blame. This field manual seeks to address this very area of concern: it explains in simple terms what scientific research has revealed about the mangrove plants, their environment, and how the plants and the environment interact. It provides an up-to-date account of the mangrove plants, their detailed identification and associations, their specific habitat requirements and adaptations, their reproductive strategies, and the management requirements of these plants to ensure their sustainability and conservation in a period where climate change provides acute challenges to this group of plants. The authors bring unique expertise and the passion to convey the latest information about these fascinating plants, particularly those that occur in India, thereby helping to reduce the threats that currently confront them.

—Peter Saenger

Emeritus Professor

Centre for Coastal Management

School of Environment, Science & Engineering

Southern Cross University

P.O. Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia

Preface

In writing this field manual, I have been inspired by many individuals within the field. I was privileged to work with Dr. K. R. Naskar, an authority on mangroves floral diversity, particularly in the Indian Sundarban. Dr. Naskar supervised me for my PhD degree from the University of Calcutta and aroused my interest in mangroves and their ecosystem. During my early days of PhD work, he guided me meticulously in identifying each and every species growing in the Indian Sundarban and their ecology. We jointly published one book, Ecology and Biodiversity of Indian Mangroves, in 1999. After a few years, Dr. Radharaman Bar, co-author of this field guide, contacted Dr. Naskar with the intention of working on mangroves with him. Sadly, Dr. Naskar left for the heavenly abode, leaving indelible impressions in our minds, with his study ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Halftitle
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents