Mangroves are being exploited and destroyed today to be converted to farmland; other causes for destruction include logging and shrimp farming. Destruction of mangroves not only damages the immediate ecosystem, it may also affect habitats such as coral reefs located further into the sea by raising sediment levels.
When visiting mangrove forests, we must be sure not to litter. We must also be sure not to feed or interfere with animals, as this may cause them to act unnaturally and potentially threaten the balance of the ecosystem. However, tourism, when tourists act responsibly, may in fact encourage the conservation of mangrove forests by providing economic incentives for local authorities.
What are mangroves? Trees that grow in salt water; some might not believe it, but it's true; mangroves grow near coasts, generally in saline conditions, though salinity may sometimes vary in different mangroves. Unlike normal plants they are designed to survive their generally unwelcoming habitat. Subhanallah!
Mangrove swamps are naturally saline and have low oxygen concentrations in the water. Various mangrove plants have different ways to deal with these problems, ranging from having roots that stick out from the ground to absorb oxygen, to barks with pores. Mangroves often filter salt through their roots, absorbing water while keeping salt out; additionally, some are also capable of excreting salt through their leaves!
However, mangroves forests are more than just swamps with incredible plants; their special adaptations and unique conditions mean that they create their own environment. A ‘mangrove forest' is essentially, as the name implies, a forest of mangroves; but what does it do? Mangroves are capable of protecting coasts from sudden increases in water levels caused by storm surges, tsunamis and tides; their root systems absorb the force of the waves, and reduce coastal erosion.
Additionally, mangroves are often seen as sanctuaries for various species of fish, as the root systems underwater can create safer environments for fish to lay their eggs and hatch.
So, when visiting mangrove forests, lets be responsible to preserve them for our own good.
"Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayat (proofs, evidence, signs, etc.) for people of understanding"
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #164 - translation from searchtruth.com)
