Where are mangroves found in Pakistan?
The mangroves in Pakistan are distributed among the coastlines of Sindh and Balochistan. In Sindh, you can find these forests along the delta of the Indus River. It is the largest mangrove forest in Pakistan and considered one of the top 10 mangrove forests in the world.
What is the current status of mangroves in Pakistan?
In term of area Pakistan has 0.6 million hectares of mangrove ecosystem, probably the tenth largest in the world. They are distributed along the coast of Sindh and Baluchistan. The largest concentration, approximately 95%, is found in Sindh Province.
Why Mangrove trees are important in Pakistan?
The economic importance of mangroves in Pakistan largely comes from the fishery resource that they harbor. An estimated 80% of the fish caught in coastal waters spend at least part of their life cycle as fry in the mangrove creeks, or depend on the food web within the mangrove ecosystem.
Where are mangroves found?
They are most often found straddling the equator between 25° North and South latitude. About 42 percent of the world’s mangroves are found in Asia, with 21 percent in Africa, 15 percent in North and Central America, 12 percent in Australia and the islands of Oceania, and 11 percent in South America.
What are mangroves used for?
Mangroves have been exploited for timber for building dwellings and boats and fuel-wood for cooking and heating. Palm species are used, especially in Southeast Asia and Brazil, to construct jetties and other submerged structures because they are resistant to rot and to attack by fungi and borers.
Which is the largest mangrove forest in the world?
The Sundarbans Reserve Forest
The Sundarbans Reserve Forest (SRF), located in the south-west of Bangladesh between the river Baleswar in the East and the Harinbanga in the West, adjoining to the Bay of Bengal, is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world.
Where is the world largest mangrove forest?
The Sundarbans Reserve Forest (SRF), located in the south-west of Bangladesh between the river Baleswar in the East and the Harinbanga in the West, adjoining to the Bay of Bengal, is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world.
What are the characteristics of mangrove trees?
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions. They contain a complex salt filtration system and a complex root system to cope with saltwater immersion and wave action.
Why is it called mangrove?
About 110 species are considered mangroves, in the sense of being trees that grow in such a saline swamp, though only a few are from the mangrove plant genus, Rhizophora.
Is a mangrove a fruit?
Its dried leaves make a nice tea with tannin, 11.68% tannin. The same leaves have also been used as tobacco and make wine, as can young fruit. Further, its fruit is actually not a fruit at all but a propagule, an embryonic root.
What is special about mangroves?
In addition to being a marginal ecosystem, a mangrove is unique in that, as an ecosystem it has various interactions with other ecosystems, both adjoining and remote in space and time. Another unique feature of mangroves is that, unlike most marginal ecosystems, they are highly productive and dynamic.
Why are they called mangroves?
Where can you find mangroves in Pakistan?
The mangroves in Pakistan are distributed among the coastlines of Sindh and Balochistan. In Sindh, you can find these forests along the delta of the Indus River. It is the largest mangrove forest in Pakistan and considered one of the top 10 mangrove forests in the world.
How many mangroves are there in Sindh and Balochistan?
As per the official website of the Sindh Forest Department, presently there are four types of mangroves found in the Indus delta. Meanwhile, the mangrove forests in Balochistan are located along Milani Hor, Kalmat Hor and Gwadar Bay. Although they are limited, these mangroves are significant for the local environment and marine life.
How are the mangroves of Indus delta managed?
The mangroves around the Indus Delta cover an area of about 600,000 hectares and are considered the largest dry-climate mangroves in the world. While most forests in Sindh are under the control of Sindh Forest Department, the mangroves are managed by three different organizations.
What are the characteristics of a mangrove forest?
Mangrove forests also referred to as mangrove swamps comprise of both tall trees and shrubs. Some of the other natural characteristics of mangrove forests include the ability to hold their place firmly in the soil. They often form what appear to be small islands along the coastline filled with vegetation.