Environmental Issue - Mangrove Swamps The following is an article written on mangrove swamps and their importance to the environment.

The article also outlines their uses, the wildlife and plants, they support and their recreational functions. One of the most productive and bio-diverse wetlands areas in the world is the mangrove swamps. These unique the coastal tropical forests are also the habitats that are most threatened in the world. They are disappearing faster than inland tropical forests and are during so without much notice from the public. Mangrove swamps are ecosystems that are found along the muddy coastlines like river mouths, lagoons, deltas and bays, which are sheltered from the open seas. A quarter of the tropical beaches of the world are mangrove swamps. They roughly cover 15.5 millions hectares worldwide. In Malaysia, they cover an area of about 650,000 hectares. Mangrove swamps are influenced by the tides - low and high. They are covered with water during high tides but the trees are not submerged completely. Mangrove swamps have trees that can tolerate the salty seawater, soil that has less oxygen, sea waves and land that is always changing its appearance. Mangrove swamps are very important to the ecosystem. They are the main barriers of erosion by big waves and strong currents as the trees here have great roots that dig deep into the soil. These roots trap sediment and stabilize the coastlines. They are also windbreakers of wind that blows in from the sea. Besides that, they are home to many fish and prawns. Forty-two per cent of the fish caught along the west coast have ties to the mangrove swamps. They are also the habitat of many mammals, fish, crustaceans, birds and reptiles.

Mangrove swamps have high economic values as these areas produce products like food, paper, furniture, firewood and piling for buildings. Every hectare of mangrove swamps can produce RM 8,000 worth of firewood and piling and RM 20,00 worth of charcoal. They also help the environment by using up toxic substances like nitrogen and phosphorus. Every hectare of swampland can collect 219 kilograms of nitrogen and 20 kilograms of phosphorus. Mangrove swamps are fast becoming popular as ecotourism sites in Malaysia. There are many sites throughout Malaysia like the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, Kuala Gula in Perak and the Bako National Park in Sarawak. Walkways and high towers are some of the facilities provided for tourists to get closer to nature, the unique ecosystem of the mangrove swamp. Mangrove swamps have a great variety of bird species. They are stopover for migratory birds from Siberia to Australia. Besides that, tourists can fish, go jungle tracking, visit forestry and aquaculture areas or just have leisure cruise. We have to preserve this important area, as it is our heritage. Currently, there are many laws to protect the mangrove swamps and to control development in the area. They are the Environment Quality Act 1974, Wildlife Preservation Act 1972, Fisheries Act 1985 and the National Forestation Act 1984, just to name a few. We have to ensure that the mangrove swamps are manages properly to ensure the preservation of the wildlife and plants in the area. We have to ensure that we preserve the ecosystem here and not repair the damage when it has been done. We should use strip felling when cutting down trees in this area as it only cuts down selected trees and leaves the rest around it. This allows fast regeneration. Indirectly, other plants that would have been destroyed if normal felling were carried out would have a place of shelter. When we preserve the trees, we ensure the well being of the wildlife in the area. We must save the mangrove swamps for the future of our children and mankind.