GEOGRAPHY IGCSE: MANGROVE SWAMPS HABITAT. It contains: what are the mangroves, water salinity, mangrove swamps locations, environment benefits, why mangroves are good for us, social benefits of the mangroves, mangroves at risk, strategies to protect mangroves, mangroves in New Zealand.

1. IGCSE GEOGRAPHY
1. STUDENT REQUESTS
MANGROVE SWAMPS HABITAT.
NEW ZEALAND CASE STUDY.

2. A mangrove is a shrub or
small tree that grows in
coastal saline or brackish
water.
Mangrove swamps are areas
of diverse trees and shrubs
which grow in saline
conditions around the coast.
They form a characteristic
saline woodland or
shrubland habitat called the
mangrove swamps.
Mangroves Near Waitangi, New Zealand

3. Brackish water or
briny water is water
that has more
salinity than fresh
water, but not as
much as seawater.
It may result from
mixing of seawater
with fresh water, as
in estuaries, or it
may occur in
brackish fossil
aquifers.

4. They are located
on the coasts of
Africa (Kenya,
Tanzania and
Madagascar),
Costa Rica,
Caribbean
islands, Asia,
New Zealand
and Australia.
Mangrove at Parengarenga Harbour, Northland, New Zealand

6. Mangroves provide food,
nesting and nursery areas
for many animals which
include:
-220 fish species,
-24 reptile and amphibian
species
-18 mammal species and
-181 bird species

8. By acting as wave breaks
they stop coastal erosion
and protect the shoreline
from tsunamis and
hurricanes.
They also trap sediment
and debris which
improves the water
quality of tidal rivers.
Mangrove’s can also trap
toxins that have been
released into the water.Waipatiki-Creek-mangroves, New Zealand

9. Mangrove Swamps offer mankind many benefits.
They are extremely important for supporting the fisheries
industry which generates a high amount of revenue.
Mangroves are a rich source of timber which can be harvested
on a sustainable basis.
Other mangrove products are also used, including the
harvesting of mangrove plants for a wide range of medicinal
uses.
Some mangrove animals, like the proboscis monkeys of Borneo
with their unusual noses, are tourist attractions and thus
generate income.

11. Mangrove forests are lost when they are torn up, filled in and
dug under for other purposes such as agriculture, aquaculture
and other development activities.
People often wrongly perceive mangroves as unsightly and want
them removed so as to enhance the environment.
Mangroves then often become garbage dumps.
Pollution degrades the quality of the plant life and the water in
the swamp, which in turn adversely affects the insects and
animals that also live there.
The roots of the mangroves can become easily clogged with man-
made sediments and petroleum.

12. Polluted mangroves in Mumbai, India.

13. Mangrove Swamps often are mistakenly thought to be
breeding grounds for mosquitoes and either flooded with
insecticides or filled in with dirt hoping to prevent a mosquito
infestation.
Pruned mangroves grow fewer prop roots and fruit and this in
turn provides a lower quality habitat.
Pruning also diminishes shoreline protection and reduces the
number of bird species using this habitat.

15. Every time another house is built; a bigger shopping mall goes
up; or another parking lot is paved, wildlife habitat is lost!
Become aware of all new building proposals in your area.
Voice your disapproval of any that threaten wildlife habitat.
You can do this in a number of ways, two of which are:
1) attend town meetings and clearly and respectfully voice
your objections and,
2) vote out of office those politicians who do not support the
environment or wildlife.

16. Learn all you can about the importance of Mangrove Swamps.
Teach others what you have learned. Be sure to impress upon
others how important Mangrove Swamps are to biodiversity
on Earth! Help others see the real beauty of this unique habitat
area.
Buying organically grown vegetables, flour or meat reduces
the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, which,
in turn lessens the pollution killing the Mangrove Swamps.
Use environmentally-friendly cleaning products to avoid
polluting water. If your local market does not carry these, ask
the manager to start.

18. Dispose of oils, chemicals and old batteries at your local
collection site.
This will ensure that they are disposed of properly and will not
end up in a Mangrove Swamp, if you live near one, or in your
local river or stream that eventually will pass through a
wetland area on its way to the sea.

19. Adult mangroves grow
in sheltered beaches
with a muddy shore
(like Shoal Bay, in
Takapuna, Auckland).
They grow in big
groups called
mangrove forests.
There is only one type
of mangrove in New
Zealand, the Avicennia
marina.
Mangroves at Hokianga Harbour, North Island, New Zealand