Coral is made from the skeletons of billions of tiny sea animals called polyps. Coral reefs form when polyps anchor themselves to undersea volcanic islands. Over millions of years more polyps attach themselves to the skeletons of dead polys until they form a structure that resembles a giant rock, called a reef. Reefs can reach lengths of 1,000 miles (1,600km) and are the biggest structures made by nonhuman animals. Coral reefs are very fragile and can easily be destroyed by global warming, pollution or mining.
Any diver can tell you that coral reefs are beautiful. They are like undersea cities, filled with colorful fish, intricate formations and wondrous sea creatures. The importance of coral reefs, however, extends far beyond the pleasure it brings to those who explore it. Coral reefs play an essential role in everything from water filtration and fish reproduction to shore line protection and erosion prevention.· Most corals and sponges are filter feeders, which means that they consume particulate matter suspended in the water column. This contributes to enhanced quality and clarity of our near shore waters.
- Coral reefs support a phenomenal diversity of species and provide irreplaceable sources of food and shelter. Tropical rainforests play a similar role on the land.
- Coral reef ecosystems support a variety of human needs. They are important for subsistence, fisheries, tourism, shoreline protection, and yield compounds that are important in the development of new medicines.
· Coral reefs form natural barriers that protect nearby shorelines from the eroding forces of the sea, thereby protecting coastal dwellings, agricultural land and beaches.
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 25° N and 25° S. Mangroves are found in tropical and subtropical tidal areas. Areas where mangals occur include estuaries and marine shorelines. The mangrove biome, or mangel, is a distinct saline woodland habitat characterized by a depositional coastal environments, where fine sediments which is often with high organic content collect in areas protected from high-energy wave action. Mangroves dominate three quarters of tropical coastlines. The saline conditions tolerated by various mangrove species range from brackish water, through pure seawater (30 to 40 ppt), to water concentrated by evaporation to over twice the salinity of ocean seawater (up to 90 ppt). Mangrove forests are among the most productive terrestrial eco systems and are natural and are a renewable resource. Mangroves are not a marvel just for their adaptations but also for the significant role they play in our environment.
· Mangroves are also a source of a vast range of wood and non-wood forest products including timber, fuel wood, charcoal, fodder, honey, pulp, tannin, medicine and thatch etc.
· The ecosystem has a very large unexplored potential for natural products useful for medicinal purposes & also for salt production, apiculture, fisheries products fuel and fodder, etc.
· Mangroves also provide opportunities for education, scientific research and eco tourism.
· It is essential to systematically conserve the biodiversity in the mangrove ecosystem and manage well for the use of mankind.
