 AIMS home
About AIMS
Research
Facilities
News
Search
Site map
Site index
Topics index
|
Coastal protection
Mangroves play an important role in preventing coastal
erosion. Throughout the world mangrove forests have been cleared leaving low-lying coastal
areas more susceptible to damage from cyclones and storm surges.
By reducing current speed
and trapping sediments, the tangled roots, pneumatophores and trunks of the mangroves help
to reduce siltation in adjacent marine habitats. Similarly, river-borne nutrients (including
the agricultural chemicals present in many Queensland rivers) are likely to be trapped and
recycled within mangroves.
|
