New Guinea mangroves
Encyclopedia
The New Guinea mangroves is a mangrove
ecoregion
that covers extensive areas of the coastline New Guinea
, the large island in the western Pacific Ocean
north of Australia
.
The New Guinea mangroves cover an area of 26800 square kilometres (10,347.5 sq mi), particularly among the river mouths of the island's south coast. This ecoregion contains the greatest diversity of mangrove species in the world and they are an important habitat for wildlife. Areas of mangroves on the northern coast of New Guinea can be found at the mouths of the Sepik
and Ramu rivers on the eastern side of Cenderawasih Bay
, and Dyke Ackland Bay
and Ward Hunt Strait
. However the largest areas are found on the south coast in the mouths of the Purari
, Kikori
, Fly
s as well as Bintuni Bay
and other areas of the southern Bird's Head Peninsula
. Some areas such as the Kikori delta have larger and thicker mangroves than others. The coast of New Guinea has a Tropical monsoon climate
apart from the length of drier Trans Fly savanna and grasslands
coastline on the south coast.
conditions. The use of water to disperse young plants is also very characteristic of mangroves. As a result of the water-logged soil that mangrove trees reside in, they have formed adaptations to help them survive. For example, Black mangroves survive in water-logged soil by using special "root snorkels" called pneumatophores. These structures are covered with small holes call lenticles that allow the roots to breathe the same way a snorkel lets you breathe while underwater. When trying to overcome the obstacle of the salinity that these trees live in, they have a few adaptations. They can actually concentrate much of the salt concentration in older leaves, which are soon to fall off, taking the excess salt with them. Some species even have salt glands which excrete salt to the surface of the leaves allowing it to be washed away by rain.
Mangroves begin as a seed called a propagule
, which germinates while still attached to the tree. The seed has a long cylindrical shape that falls off the parent tree and either sticks in the mud growing next to the parent tree, or floats off to sea. These seeds have a very strong, protective covering that allows them to float and survive for long distances and periods of time. The seedling may finally reach a point of its destination where conditions are favorable, and the roots will begin to bury into the ground, forming a new mangrove tree.The dispersal of these "live" young trees is called vivipary
, or birth of live young, very similar to mammals.
by stabilizing sediments provide nursery and spawning areas for commercially important fish and provide stop over sites for organisms such as migratory birds, mammals, and fish.
species Avicennia alba
and Avicennia marina
are usually the first to establish on coastal shores, with Sonneratia
growing in the coastal tidal creeks. Their complex root networks encourage further sedimentation and growth which then creates shade that allows Rhizophora mucronata to establish itself, ultimately supplanting the shade-intolerant Avicennia and Sonneratia. Then Rhizophora apiculata
and Bruguiera parviflora, (and occasionally Bruguiera gymnorrhiza
) are the next in succession but still in waters that are more than 10% saline. Mature mangrove forests include Xylocarpus
, Lunmitzera, and Heritiera. Papuan mahogany Xylocarpus granatum
can form monotypic stands, reaching up to 20 meters in height, with buttressed trunks up to a meter across.
Where freshwater flows create a less salty brackish environment the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans
is common, together with Xylocarpus granatum
and Heritiera littoralis
. Mangrove forests bordering freshwater swamp forest
s include Bruguiera sexangula
, Camptostemon schultzii, Dolichandrone spathacea
, Diospyros
spp., Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera littoralis
, Rhizophora apiculata
, and Xylocarpus granatum
, along with typical freshwater swamp forest species, such as Calophyllum
spp., Kwila (Intsia bijuga), Myristica hollrungii
, and Amoora cucullata.
(Emballonura furax) is a near-endemic
. Many species of birds also inhabit these forests including the New Guinea Flightless Rail
, while endemic or near-endemic birds include the Red-billed Brush-turkey
, Wallace's Fruit-dove
, Western Crowned Pigeon
, Salvadori's Fig Parrot, Black Lory
, Brown Lory
, Papuan swiftlet
, Red-breasted Paradise-kingfisher
, White-bellied Pitohui
, and the Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
. Reptiles recorded from the New Guinea mangroves on Daru and Bobo (Bristow ) Islands, Western Province, PNG, during survey work were the Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Littoral skink (Emoia atrocostata), Mangrove monitor (Varanus indicus), Amethystine python
(Morelia amethistina), Crab-eating mangrove snake
(Fordonia leucobalia), and Richardson's mangrove snake (Myron richardsonii). All are species strongly associated with southern New Guinea mangroves.
, agriculture
, and urbanization
have also contributed to the recent loss of mangrove habitats. Mangroves provide humans with shrimp
, fish, honey, lumber, and reptile skins. Without this tropical habitat, many of these products would be reduced in our market.
Threats to mangroves in Bintuni Bay and on Daru and Bobo (Bristow) Islands, Western Province, PNG, includes cutting for firewood and charcoal burning. Cutters travel by canoe up creeks into the interior of the mangrove forest and clear-fell large areas of trees which from the outside appear untouched. The timber is sold in the market on Daru, an island which is home to 10% of the Western Province population ie. some 15,000 people including immigrants from Indonesian New Guinea (Papua). It is doubtful the mangrove forests can sustain this level of harvesting. Kwila (Intsia bijuga) and Papuan mahogany have more valuable timber and so are more vulnerable.
Many steps around the world are being taken in an effort to conserve mangrove forests from being completely wiped out. Some of these efforts include replanting of trees by local communities, and the development of sustainable use systems within a community. This practice includes using resources from mangroves that is at a rate in which the ecosystem can recover. Meanwhile there are four protected areas that include some coastal mangroves: Bintuni Bay Nature Reserve, Lorentz National Park
and the Pulau Kimaam Wildlife Reserve in Indonesia
and the Kikori Integrated Conservation and Development Project in Papua New Guinea.
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...
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...
that covers extensive areas of the coastline New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the large island in the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
north of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Location and description
Sepik
Sepik may refer to places in Papua New Guinea:*Sepik River*East Sepik - a province*Sandaun - a province formerly known as West Sepik*Sepik region - consisting of East Sepik and Sandaun provincesIn languages it may refer to:...
and Ramu rivers on the eastern side of Cenderawasih Bay
Cenderawasih Bay
Cenderawasih Bay , also Teluk Sarera , formerly Geelvink Bay is a large bay in northern Province of Papua and West Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia, at . The Dutch name comes after a Dutch ship and family called Geelvinck...
, and Dyke Ackland Bay
Dyke Ackland Bay
Dyke Ackland Bay is a large bay in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. The bay extends from Cape Nelson to Cape Ward Hunt. Porlock Bay and Oro Bay are some of the smaller bays located within the larger bay. The bay was named by Captain John Moresby after his friend Sir Thomas Dyke Acland....
and Ward Hunt Strait
Ward Hunt Strait
The Ward Hunt Strait is a 30 km wide stretch of water separating Papua New Guinea from Goodenough Island in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands. The Dart Reefs are located in the centre of the channel....
. However the largest areas are found on the south coast in the mouths of the Purari
Purari River
The Purari is a river in that originates in the south central highlands of Papua New Guinea, flowing though the Gulf Province to the Gulf of Papua...
, Kikori
Kikori River
The Kikori River is a river in southern Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea .The river is about long and flows southeast into the Gulf of Papua, with its delta at the head of the gulf. The settlement of Kikori lies on the delta.-References:...
, Fly
Fly River
The Fly at , is the second longest river, after the Sepik, in Papua New Guinea. The Fly is the largest river in Oceania, the largest in the world without a single dam in its catchment, and overall ranks as the twenty-fifth largest river in the world by volume of discharge...
s as well as Bintuni Bay
Bintuni Bay
Bintuni Bay is the eastward extension or inner bay of Berau Bay off Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea. Administratively it is part of West Papua , Indonesia. The bay is wide at its entrance and the land on both sides is marsh....
and other areas of the southern Bird's Head Peninsula
Bird's Head Peninsula
The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the Province of West Papua, Indonesia.-Location and geography:...
. Some areas such as the Kikori delta have larger and thicker mangroves than others. The coast of New Guinea has a Tropical monsoon climate
Tropical monsoon climate
Tropical monsoon climate, occasionally also known as a tropical wet climate or tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate in climate classification, is a relatively rare type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category "Am."Tropical monsoon climates have monthly...
apart from the length of drier Trans Fly savanna and grasslands
Trans Fly savanna and grasslands
The Trans Fly savanna and grasslands are a lowland ecoregion on the south coast of the island of New Guinea in both the Indonesian and Papua New Guinean sides of the island...
coastline on the south coast.
The growth of mangroves
Mangroves depend on a complex series of dynamic natural tidal processes that create the conditions for their survival. Rivers depositing sediment, together with waves and coastal currents, reshape the tidal zone where mangroves thrive. There are several features that all species of mangroves have in common. These include tolerance to conditions of high soil salinity, tolerance to submergence in water, or waterlogged soil, and to low oxygenOxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
conditions. The use of water to disperse young plants is also very characteristic of mangroves. As a result of the water-logged soil that mangrove trees reside in, they have formed adaptations to help them survive. For example, Black mangroves survive in water-logged soil by using special "root snorkels" called pneumatophores. These structures are covered with small holes call lenticles that allow the roots to breathe the same way a snorkel lets you breathe while underwater. When trying to overcome the obstacle of the salinity that these trees live in, they have a few adaptations. They can actually concentrate much of the salt concentration in older leaves, which are soon to fall off, taking the excess salt with them. Some species even have salt glands which excrete salt to the surface of the leaves allowing it to be washed away by rain.
Mangroves begin as a seed called a propagule
Propagule
In horticulture, a propagule is any plant material used for the purpose of plant propagation. In asexual reproduction, a propagule may be a woody, semi-hardwood, or softwood cutting, leaf section, or any number of other plant parts. In sexual reproduction, a propagule is a seed or spore...
, which germinates while still attached to the tree. The seed has a long cylindrical shape that falls off the parent tree and either sticks in the mud growing next to the parent tree, or floats off to sea. These seeds have a very strong, protective covering that allows them to float and survive for long distances and periods of time. The seedling may finally reach a point of its destination where conditions are favorable, and the roots will begin to bury into the ground, forming a new mangrove tree.The dispersal of these "live" young trees is called vivipary
Vivipary
Vivipary has two different meanings. In animals, it means development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, eventually leading to live birth, as opposed to laying eggs...
, or birth of live young, very similar to mammals.
Ecological Importance
Mangrove forests act as a "natural cleaner". For example, they intercept land-derived nutrients, pollutants, and suspended matter before these contaminants reach deeper water. They also prevent coastal erosionErosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
by stabilizing sediments provide nursery and spawning areas for commercially important fish and provide stop over sites for organisms such as migratory birds, mammals, and fish.
Flora
The range of newly deposited and well-established areas, varying water depth, and variations in salinity from the mixing of salt and fresh water create a diversity of habitats that are home to different mixes of species. On the shoreline pioneering species like the AvicenniaAvicennia
Avicennia is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by aerial roots. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.The...
species Avicennia alba
Avicennia alba
Avicennia alba forms a low, dense bushy crown often branching near the base of the trunk. The shrub does not grow more than 20 m. The dark green leaves, 15 cm long by 5 cm wide, have a silvery gray under leaf and grow in opposites. Orange yellow flowers, borne in a racemose inflorescence, have a...
and 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...
are usually the first to establish on coastal shores, with 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...
growing in the coastal tidal creeks. Their complex root networks encourage further sedimentation and growth which then creates shade that allows Rhizophora mucronata to establish itself, ultimately supplanting the shade-intolerant Avicennia and Sonneratia. Then Rhizophora apiculata
Rhizophora apiculata
Rhizophora apiculata is a species of plant in the Rhizophoraceae family. It is found in Australia , Guam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan,Maldives Thailand, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.Rhizophora...
and Bruguiera parviflora, (and occasionally 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...
) are the next in succession but still in waters that are more than 10% saline. Mature mangrove forests include Xylocarpus
Xylocarpus
Xylocarpus is a genus of plants in the mahogany family . It includes two or three species of mangroves, native to coastal mangrove forests of the Western and Central Indo-Pacific, from eastern Africa to Tonga....
, Lunmitzera, and Heritiera. Papuan mahogany Xylocarpus granatum
Xylocarpus granatum
The cannonball mangrove, Xylocarpus granatum, is a species of mangrove in the mahogany family . It is found in Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands....
can form monotypic stands, reaching up to 20 meters in height, with buttressed trunks up to a meter across.
Where freshwater flows create a less salty brackish environment the mangrove palm Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans, known as the attap palm , nipa palm , and mangrove palm or buah atap , buah nipah , dừa nước , Ging Pol in Sinhala in Sri Lanka and gol pata , dani . It is the only palm considered a mangrove in the Mangroves Biome...
is common, together with Xylocarpus granatum
Xylocarpus granatum
The cannonball mangrove, Xylocarpus granatum, is a species of mangrove in the mahogany family . It is found in Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands....
and Heritiera littoralis
Heritiera littoralis
Heritiera littoralis, the looking-glass mangrove is a large tree with wing shaped nuts, which is most easily recognised by the silvery scales on the underside of its leaves, which therefore appear green from top and white from below, although Litsea mellifera A.C. Smith , has the same type of leaves....
. Mangrove forests bordering freshwater swamp forest
Freshwater swamp forest
Freshwater swamp forests, or flooded forests, are forests which are inundated with freshwater, either permanently or seasonally. They normally occur along the lower reaches of rivers and around freshwater lakes...
s include Bruguiera sexangula
Bruguiera sexangula
Bruguiera sexangula, commonly called the Upriver Orange Mangrove, is a mangrove shrub or tree usually growing up to 15 m, occasionally 30 m, in height.-Description:...
, Camptostemon schultzii, Dolichandrone spathacea
Dolichandrone spathacea
Dolichandrone spathacea is a species of plant in the Begoniaceae family. It is endemic to India....
, Diospyros
Diospyros
Diospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...
spp., Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera littoralis
Heritiera littoralis
Heritiera littoralis, the looking-glass mangrove is a large tree with wing shaped nuts, which is most easily recognised by the silvery scales on the underside of its leaves, which therefore appear green from top and white from below, although Litsea mellifera A.C. Smith , has the same type of leaves....
, Rhizophora apiculata
Rhizophora apiculata
Rhizophora apiculata is a species of plant in the Rhizophoraceae family. It is found in Australia , Guam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan,Maldives Thailand, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.Rhizophora...
, and Xylocarpus granatum
Xylocarpus granatum
The cannonball mangrove, Xylocarpus granatum, is a species of mangrove in the mahogany family . It is found in Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands....
, along with typical freshwater swamp forest species, such as Calophyllum
Calophyllum
Calophyllum is a flowering plant genus of around 180-200 species of tropical evergreen trees in the family Calophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words καλος , meaning "beautiful", and φυλλον , meaning "leaf." Its members are native to Australasia, Madagascar, Eastern Africa,...
spp., Kwila (Intsia bijuga), Myristica hollrungii
Myristica hollrungii
Myristica hollrungii is a species of plant in the Myristicaceae family. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
, and Amoora cucullata.
Fauna
These continuously changing woodlands do not have a great variety of mammals, although the Greater Sheath-Tailed BatGreater Sheath-Tailed Bat
The Greater Sheath-tailed Bat or New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae.It is found in West Papua in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.It is threatened by habitat loss....
(Emballonura furax) is a near-endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
. Many species of birds also inhabit these forests including the New Guinea Flightless Rail
New Guinea Flightless Rail
The New Guinea Flightless Rail , also known as the Papuan Flightless Rail, is a species of bird in the Rallidae family, in the monotypic genus Megacrex.-Distribution and habitat:It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea...
, while endemic or near-endemic birds include the Red-billed Brush-turkey
Red-billed Brush-turkey
The Red-billed Brushturkey, Talegalla cuvieri, also known as Red-billed Talegalla or Cuvier's Brushturkey, is a large, up to 57cm long, black megapode with bare yellow facial skin, a reddish orange bill, yellow iris, and orange feet. The head is covered with bristle-like black feathers...
, Wallace's Fruit-dove
Wallace's Fruit-dove
The Wallace's Fruit Dove, Ptilinopus wallacii is a medium-sized, approximately 26 cm long, green fruit-dove with a scarlet crown and forehead, whitish throat, orange shoulder patch, yellow bill, purplish feet and long green tail. It has a pale bluish-grey breast and neck, an orange belly, with...
, Western Crowned Pigeon
Western Crowned Pigeon
The Western Crowned Pigeon, also known as the Common Crowned Pigeon or Blue Crowned Pigeon, Goura cristata, is a large, blue-grey pigeon with blue lacy crests over the head and dark blue mask feathers around its eyes. Both sexes are almost similar but males are often larger than females...
, Salvadori's Fig Parrot, Black Lory
Black Lory
The Black Lory, Chalcopsitta atra also known as Rajah Lory or Red-quilled Lory is a medium-sized, blackish parrot with black bill, dark grey feet and long rounded tail. It has yellow and red under-tail. Both sexes are similar....
, Brown Lory
Brown Lory
The Brown Lory , also called Duyvenbode's Lory, is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, Papuan swiftlet
Papuan Swiftlet
The Three-toed Swiftlet or Papuan Swiftlet is a species of swift.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.-Source:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Red-breasted Paradise-kingfisher
Red-breasted Paradise-kingfisher
The Red-breasted Paradise-kingfisher or Fairy Paradise Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, White-bellied Pitohui
White-bellied Pitohui
The White-bellied Pitohui is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, and the Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
Olive-crowned Flowerpecker
The Olive-crowned Flowerpecker is a small passerine bird in the flowerpecker family, Dicaeidae. It is found in far western New Guinea and on adjacent islands. There are two subspecies: D. p. ignotum on Gebe Island and D. p. pectorale elsewhere. The Red-capped Flowerpecker and Louisiade...
. Reptiles recorded from the New Guinea mangroves on Daru and Bobo (Bristow ) Islands, Western Province, PNG, during survey work were the Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Littoral skink (Emoia atrocostata), Mangrove monitor (Varanus indicus), Amethystine python
Amethystine python
Morelia amethistina is a non-venomous species of snake, known as the amethystine or scrub python, found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Popular among reptile enthusiasts, and noted for its coloration and size, it is the largest Australian snake...
(Morelia amethistina), Crab-eating mangrove snake
Fordonia leucobalia
The aquatic snake Fordonia leucobalia is known by the common names crab-eating water snake and white-bellied mangrove snake. It is a common resident of mangrove swamps and tropical tidal wetlands from Southeast Asia to the coasts of Northern Australia.Individual F. leucobalia reach up to a meter in...
(Fordonia leucobalia), and Richardson's mangrove snake (Myron richardsonii). All are species strongly associated with southern New Guinea mangroves.
Threats and preservation
Even though this thick forest is hard to penetrate about 35% of the of mangrove forests has been lost in the past two decades. These losses exceed those for tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Mangrove trees grow on a narrow strip between land and ocean in river systems, between the latitudes 25 degrees N and 30 degrees S, and the constant renewal of the trees relies on rivers bringing nutrients to the coast in regular seasonal patterns. The limited distribution of this ecosystem adds to the delicacy of it. Many global changes such as an increased rise in sea water is largely thought to be responsible for the destruction of these mangrove forests. A few other factors such as maricultureMariculture
Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater. An example of the latter is the farming of marine fish,...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, and urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
have also contributed to the recent loss of mangrove habitats. Mangroves provide humans with shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
, fish, honey, lumber, and reptile skins. Without this tropical habitat, many of these products would be reduced in our market.
Threats to mangroves in Bintuni Bay and on Daru and Bobo (Bristow) Islands, Western Province, PNG, includes cutting for firewood and charcoal burning. Cutters travel by canoe up creeks into the interior of the mangrove forest and clear-fell large areas of trees which from the outside appear untouched. The timber is sold in the market on Daru, an island which is home to 10% of the Western Province population ie. some 15,000 people including immigrants from Indonesian New Guinea (Papua). It is doubtful the mangrove forests can sustain this level of harvesting. Kwila (Intsia bijuga) and Papuan mahogany have more valuable timber and so are more vulnerable.
Many steps around the world are being taken in an effort to conserve mangrove forests from being completely wiped out. Some of these efforts include replanting of trees by local communities, and the development of sustainable use systems within a community. This practice includes using resources from mangroves that is at a rate in which the ecosystem can recover. Meanwhile there are four protected areas that include some coastal mangroves: Bintuni Bay Nature Reserve, Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park
Lorentz National Park is located in the Indonesian province of Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya . With an area of 25,056 km² , it is the largest national park in South-East Asia...
and the Pulau Kimaam Wildlife Reserve in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and the Kikori Integrated Conservation and Development Project in Papua New Guinea.