Mangroves protect life and property during natural calamities like cyclones and they act as a biodiversity hotspot. In this context, explain the importance of mangroves in coastal ecosystems and examine the reasons for their decline.

Answer: Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. The specific areas in which these plants occur are called ‘mangrove ecosystems’.

Mangroves have the following importance in coastal ecosystems:

  • Mangrove forests are productive habitat for many species of shrimp, crab and fish.
  • Mangroves are important for climate mitigation, sequestering four times more carbon than terrestrial forests.
  • Mangroves provide invaluable benefits to coastal communities around the world, and in the face of the climate change crisis, they will become more important.
  • The aerial roots of mangroves prevent erosion, retain sediment, and facilitate vertical soil development.
  • Mangrove forests act ....
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General Studies Mains Questions And Answers