[Coral-List] mangroves and buffer zone
Les Kaufman
lesk at bu.edu
Wed Jun 14 21:36:30 EDT 2006
I do not know of examples of mangrove buffer zones, but have seen a
specific example of what happens when they are lacking.
Behind mangrove forests in mesic environments there is a transitional
forest that is rich and unusual, and may play an important functional
role in
linking mangrove to upland habitats. It includes facultative
mangrove-associated species such as (e.g., Caribbean) Pterocarpus
officinalis, Hibiscus tiliaceus,
(e.g., Pacific) Heriteira littoralis- you get the picture. This
forest is often destroyed by land-based encroachment. It can be very
extensive- the Pterocarpus forests
of Belizean rivers extend along hundreds to thousands of meters of
riverfront, which may provide some indication of their areal extent.
These are now being
destroyed in several parts of Belize by new real estate developments.
Les
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