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Human impact on
Mangrove Biodiversity

Ashlin T V
EKAMECE014

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Content:
☻ Introduction
☻ Case study
☻ Result
☻ Conclusion
☻ Reference
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What is Mangrove….??
Group of trees  up to medium height and
shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone.
Mangroves in Valapattanam 4
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Adaptations:

☻ Salt excreting leaves

☻ Prop roots
☻ Pencil roots
☻ Viviparity
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Why mangrove..???
☻ Buffer Zone between the land and sea.
☻ Protect the land from erosion. 

☻ Play an invaluable role as nature's shield against ecological

disasters and as protector of shorelines.
☻ Breeding and nursery grounds for a variety of marine animals.
☻ Harbour a variety of life forms.
☻ Good source of timber, fuel and fodder.
☻ Purify the water and air.

☻ Potential source for recreation and tourism.

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Main Threats
Degradation Conversion

• Grazing by animals • Urban, infrastructure &

• Pollutions tourism development
• Altered water flow • Aquaculture
• Overharvesting • Agriculture
• Overfishing
• Natural impacts
• Sedimentations
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Case study:

Impact of human physical disturbance on

mangrove forest structure at the Gazi Bay,
Kenya (2014) – Kihia C M
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Location of Gazi bay along the Kenya

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1) Importance value:
IV = RA + RD + Rdom
RA = Relative abundance
RD = Relative density
Rdom = Relative dominance

2) Structural complexity index:

CI = TR x d x a x h
TR = Taxon richness
d = Stem density
a = Basal area
h = Tree height
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Results:
Table 1 : Variation in human disturbance parameters at
disturbed and undisturbed sites within Gazi forest, Kenya

Human activity Village Village Swere Swere

undisturbe disturbed undisturbed disturbed
d
Tree cutting 325 498 69 231
(cuts/ha)
Roads (no.) 0 2 0 0

Foot paths (no.) 2 4 0 1

Bait holes (no.) 2 10 0 1

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Table 3 : some forest stand characteristics disturbed and
undisturbed sites within Gazi forest, Kenya

Forest character Village Village Swere Swere

undisturbed disturbed undisturbed disturbed

Stem density 2464 575 5040 4028

(stem/ha)

Harvestable 253 104 524 342

trees (stem/ha)

Tree diameter 18.90 18.85 28.21 24.33

(cm)

Basal area 2.80 2.78 6.24 4.65

(m2/ha)

Tree height (m) 2.84 3.52 5.02 4.16

Stand volume 7.95 9.79 31.32 19.34

(m3/ha)
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Fig 1 :Occurrence of mangrove stem size classes among
the sampling sites within the Gazi forest
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Fig 2: Occurrence of stem size classes on mangrove species
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Fig 3: Variations in forest complexity (CI) with
disturbance at the Gazi forest, Kenya
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Conclusion from case study :

☻ Exploitation of mangrove forests reduces abundance of trees

with preferred stem size and species.

☻ Regenerative ability of mangrove species within gaps created

during harvesting, may obscure patterns of diversity.

☻Simplification of mangrove forest’s structural and biological

complexity influence both nutrient and biomass processing capacity of
the forest.
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☻ Mangroves are invaluable treasure of our biodiversity

with immense ecological and economical significance.
☻The major factors that effected the change in mangrove
ecosystem were reported as anthropogenic, climatic forces.
☻The contradictory forces of development and
conservation lead to destruction of mangrove ecosystem.
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☻Awareness to local people has to be created.

☻ The conservation and management
programme of mangroves should concentrate on
mangrove management and its possible role in disaster
mitigation
☻ Government and other agencies of environmental concern
should implement effective environmental policies to
conserve mangroves and save mankind.
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Reference:
1.) Kihia C.A (2014) Impact of human physical disturbance on mangrove
forest structure at the Gazi Bay, Kenya. Egerton J. Sci. & Technol.(ISSN
2073-8277)

2.) Hema M. & Indira Devi P. (2013) Factors of mangrove destruction and
management of mangrove ecosystem of Kerala, India. Journal of Aquatic
Biology and Fisheries Vol. 2/2014

3.) A. Saleem Khan and M. Sheik Ali (2009)

Mangroves Living at the Edges: A Social Survey Based on

Environmental Issue
Thank you….

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