The Madagascar mangroves are a coastal ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

, in the Mangrove forest aquatic

Aquatic

Aquatic means relating to water; living in or near water or taking place in waterAquatic may also refer to:* Aquatic animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life...

 biome

Biome

Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...

, of mangrove

Mangrove

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...

 swamps in rivers and estuaries in Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

, mainly on the west coast.

Location and description

The mangrove swamps are located in flat coastal areas where the ocean tides wash salt water high into the mouths of rivers which are bringing nutrient-rich soil down to the coast. For mangroves to thrive there also needs to be some natural feature such as hilly terrain or a coral reef to shelter the coast from ocean

Ocean

An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...

 storms and the monsoon

Monsoon

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

s. In Madagascar they are mostly found on the more sheltered west coast and the largest areas are in the estuaries of the Betsiboka River

Betsiboka River

Betsiboka River is a long river in central-north Madagascar. It flows northwestward and empties to Bombetoka Bay, forming a large delta. The river is distinct for its red-coloured water, which is caused by river sediments. The river carries an enormous amount of reddish-orange silt to the sea...

 (in Bombetoka Bay

Bombetoka Bay

Bombetoka Bay is a bay on the northwestern coast of Madagascar near the city of Mahajanga, where the Betsiboka River flows into the Mozambique Channel...

 near the city of Mahajanga

Mahajanga

Mahajanga is a city and a district on the north-west coast of Madagascar.- City :The City of Mahajanga is the capital of the Boeny region. Population: 135,660 ....

), Besalampy

Besalampy

Besalampy is a town and commune on the west coast of Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Besalampy, which is a part of Melaky Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 15,000 in 2001 commune census....

, and the Mahajamba, North Mahavavy and South Mahavavy Rivers, and near Maintirano

Maintirano

Maintirano is a coastal city and commune in western Madagascar approximately 325 kilometres west of the capital Antananarivo. It belongs to the district of Maintirano, which is a part of Melaky Region – Maintirano is capital of Melaky region. The population of the commune was estimated to be...

. As well as being home to a rich variety of birds and fish the swamps also hold river estuaries in place and prevent river mud being washed into the sea and thus suffocating coastal coral reefs. The climate is warm all along the coast but more humid in the north.

Flora

The mangrove trees found in Madagascar are mainly Rhizophora

Rhizophora

Rhizophora is a genus of tropical mangrove trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the Red Mangrove but some other species and a few natural hybrids are known. Rhizophora species generally live in intertidal zones which are indundated daily by the ocean...

s, (Rhizopora mucronata, Black Mangrove Bruguiera gymnorrhiza

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza is a small tree up to 10 m high and belongs to the family Rhizophoraceae. It is found on the seaward side of mangrove swamps, often in the company of Rhizophora. Bark is rough and reddish-brown. The tree develops short prop-roots rather than long stilt-roots. Flowers are...

and Ceriops tagal), White Mangrove (Avicennia marina

Avicennia marina

Avicennia marina, commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae...

), and Sonneratia

Sonneratia

Sonneratia is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the Sonneratia and the Duabanga, but these two are now placed in their own monotypic subfamilies of the family Lythraceae...

s (Sonneratia alba) and (Lumnitzera racemosa). The mangrove trees are host to other plants such as ferns and moss

Moss

Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...

es. There are some endemic plant species.

Fauna

Mangrove swamps, here in Madagascar and around the world, are an important habitat for wildlife, they are a vital breeding ground for many species of fish and a feeding place for migratory birds. The waters of the Madagsacar mangroves are rich in fish and other sea creatures such as molluscs, crabs, which in turn are food to waterbirds, and animals such as crocodiles, Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and dugong

Dugong

The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...

s. Birds include waterbirds such as African Spoonbill

African Spoonbill

The African Spoonbill is a long-legged wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The species is widespread across Africa and Madagascar, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It lives in marshy wetlands with some open shallow water and...

, Great Egret

Great Egret

The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...

, Sakalava Rail

Sakalava Rail

The Sakalava Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitats are rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, and freshwater marshes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...

 and Grey Heron

Grey Heron

The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...

, and birds of the forest such as Olive Bee-eaters. Much of this wildlife is endemic to Madagascar. The many fish found in the waters include mullet

Mullet (fish)

The mullets or grey mullets are a family and order of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and in some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since Roman times...

, Serranidae

Serranidae

Serranidae is a large family of fishes, belonging to the order Perciformes. The family contains about 450 species of serranids in 64 genera, including the sea basses and the groupers...

, Carangidae

Carangidae

Carangidae is a family of fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, and scads.They are marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans...

, Halfbeak

Halfbeak

The halfbeaks are a geographically widespread and numerically abundant family of epipelagic fish inhabiting warm waters around the world. The family Hemiramphidae is divided into two subfamilies, the primarily marine Hemiramphinae and the freshwater or estuarine Zenarchopterinae...

, Plectorhinchus

Plectorhinchus

The sweetlips, Plectorhinchus, are a genus in the family Haemulidae, with 35 species found in fresh, brackish and salt waters. These fish have big fleshy lips and tend to live on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific in small groups or pairs...

 and Elops machnata

Elops machnata

The tenpounder, Elops machnata, is a species of fish in the family Elopidae in the order Elopiformes .This species is found in coastal regions of the Indian ocean....

Threats and preservation

Mangroves are vulnerable to clearance for timber, urban expansion, agriculture such as rice growing,industrial development and for dumpimg of sewage including salt-panning and shrimp cultivation. Urban areas near the mangroves include Tulear, Mahajanga, Maintirano and Morondava

Morondava

Morondava is a city located in Menabe Region, of which it is the capital, in Madagascar. It is located in the delta of the Morandava River at .-Communication:...

. The waters are overfished. There are no protected areas.

External links

• Madagascar mangroves (World Wildlife Fund)