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Madagascar mangroves are a coastal
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
in the mangrove forest
biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...
found on the west coast of
Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. They are included in the WWF's
Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...
list of most outstanding ecoregions.


Geography

Mangrove swamps are located in flat coastal areas where the ocean tides wash saltwater high into the mouths of rivers which are bringing nutrient-rich soil down to the coast. For mangroves to thrive, there needs to be some natural feature such as
coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...
s to shelter the coast from
ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...
storms and
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
s. In Madagascar, they are mostly found on the more sheltered west coast along the
Mozambique Channel The Mozambique Channel (french: Canal du Mozambique, mg, Lakandranon'i Mozambika, pt, Canal de Moçambique) is an arm of the Indian Ocean located between the Southeast African countries of Madagascar and Mozambique. The channel is about lon ...
, where they stretch along roughly of coastline. The largest areas are in the estuaries of the
Betsiboka River Betsiboka River is a long river in central-north Madagascar. It flows northwestward and empties to Bombetoka Bay, forming a large delta. It originates to the east of Antananarivo. The river is surrounded in mangroves. The river is distinctive f ...
(in Bombetoka Bay near the city of Mahajanga),
Besalampy Besalampy is a rural municipality on the west coast of Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Besalampy, which is a part of Melaky Region. The population of the municipality was 11331 in 2018. Besalampy is served by a local Besalampy Airpo ...
, the Mahajamba and
South Mahavavy The Mahavavy Sud, also known as the Mahavavy South, is a river in western Madagascar. It flows from south to north through the regions of Melaky, Betsiboka, and Boeny. It has a length of approximately 1000 km, and drains a basin of 16,475 km2. It i ...
river, and near
Maintirano Maintirano is a coastal city, commune urbaine (urban municipality), ( mg, kaominina) and Catholic bishopric in western Madagascar approximately 325 kilometres west of the capital Antananarivo. It belongs to the district of Maintirano, which is a ...
. The climate is warm all along the coast but more humid in the north.


Flora

The mangrove trees found in Madagascar are mainly '' Rhizophora mucronata'', Black Mangrove ('' Bruguiera gymnorhiza''), ''
Ceriops tagal ''Ceriops tagal'', commonly known as spurred mangrove or Indian mangrove, is a mangrove tree species in the family Rhizophoraceae. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The specific epithet ' is a plant name from the Tagalog language. Descrip ...
'', White Mangrove ('' Avicennia marina''), '' Sonneratia alba'' and '' Lumnitzera racemosa''. Other species are '' Xylocarpus granatum'' and ''
Heritiera littoralis ''Heritiera littoralis'', commonly known as the looking-glass mangrove or tulip mangrove, is a mangrove tree in the family Malvaceae native to coastal areas of eastern Africa, Asia, Melanesia and northern Australia. The common name refers to the ...
''.


Fauna

Mangrove swamps, in Madagascar and around the world, are an important habitat for wildlife. They are a vital breeding ground for many species of fish and a feeding place for migratory birds. The waters of the Madagascar mangroves are rich in fish and other animals such as waterbirds, crocodiles, green turtle (''
Chelonia mydas The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...
''), hawksbill turtle (''
Eretmochelys imbricata The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...
''), and dugongs. Birds include the African spoonbill, great egret, sakalava rail and grey heron. Much of this wildlife is endemic to Madagascar. The many fish found in the waters include the families
Mugilidae The mullets or grey mullets are a family (Mugilidae) of ray-finned fish found worldwide in coastal temperate and tropical waters, and some species in fresh water. Mullets have served as an important source of food in Mediterranean Europe since R ...
, Serranidae,
Carangidae The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the only family ...
,
Gerridae The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, or water skimmers. Consistent with the classification of the Gerridae as tr ...
, Hemiramphidae, Plectorhinchinae, and
Elopidae The Elopidae are a family of ray-finned fish containing a single living genus '' Elops''. They are commonly known as ladyfish, skipjacks, jack-rashes, or tenpounders. The ladyfish are a coastal-dwelling fish found throughout the tropical and sub ...
. Neighbouring coral reefs are also extremely diverse.


Threats and conservation

Mangroves are vulnerable to clearance for timber, urban expansion, over-fishing, and erosion in the
highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...
. Activities such as rice growing, salt-panning and shrimp cultivation are also threats. Urban areas near the mangroves include the cities
Toliara Toliara (also known as ''Toliary'', ; formerly ''Tuléar'') is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region, located 936 km southwest of national capital Antananarivo. The current spelling of the name was adopted ...
and Mahajanga. Mananara Nord National Park protects some mangrove swamps.
Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
is produced in mangroves as a source of (non-destructive) income generation (which can help in preventing people from destroying the mangroves (i.e. for charcoal production). In addition, silk pods from endemic silkworm species are also collected in the Madagascar mangroves for
wild silk Wild silks have been known and used in many countries from early times, although the scale of production is far smaller than that from cultivated silkworms. Silk cocoons and nests often resemble paper or cloth, and their use has arisen independent ...
production.The secret life of mangroves documentary (episode 2)
/ref>


See also

* Ecoregions of Madagascar


References


External links

*{{WWF ecoregion, id=at1404, name=Madagascar Mangroves Ecoregions of Madagascar Mangrove ecoregions Sofia Region Boeny Melaky Menabe Atsimo-Andrefana Western Indo-Pacific