Weird Ways of the Mangrove
A crab-eating macaque takes a break in the branches of a mangrove tree.
Everyone knows about coral reefs in the waters around Phuket, and the gorgeously coloured fish, starfish, crabs, prawns and anemones – even worms – that make a living in or on the coral. Certainly, anyone who has not dived or at least snorkeled around the reefs is missing a great deal of the wonder of Phuket.
But far fewer people know about the mangrove forests that are inextricably connected to the reefs, and which are just as important to the marine ecology as the coral.
Mangroves, those odd, smallish trees with weird roots that grow along most of the muddy east coast, lack the grandeur of other species of trees. They don’t put out great cascades of flowers, or perfume the night air. They are, frankly, a bit like that nondescript fellow you meet in the bar, who doesn’t have much to say that’s interesting, and whose name you can’t recall when you meet him again.
But any local fisherman will tell you that without the mangroves, the sea would be barren, devoid of fish, crabs, lobsters and prawns – and thus of all the species higher up in the food chain. Mangroves are the nurseries for many of the reef species. Reef fish and other animals lay their eggs among the mangroves. The hatchlings are washed out to sea by the floods in the rainy season. Those that make it to the reefs get a chance at life.
The mangrove forests are also the permanent habitat for many species, with crab-eating macaques – a rowdy, curious species of monkey – being top of the chain.
Trees really shouldn’t survive in sea water – there’s too much salt. But mangroves have adapted to this marginal niche that no other tree would consider. The tangled stilt roots of the world’s mangrove forests form a massive desalination plant unrivaled by man. By the time the sea water gets into the trunk of the tree, 97 percent of the salt has been extracted. Some trees excrete it through their leaves. Others have rootlets that stick into the air, through which the salt is squeezed out.
They can also limit the amount of precious fresh water lost to the air. They can vary the size of the pores in their leaves and can orient their leaves to reduce the sunlight hitting the surface. They may not look too exciting, but these are very special plants.
The weird stilt roots of the mangroves.
By colonizing silty coastlines, they create new land. So while most of the west coast of Phuket is being slowly eroded by the annual monsoon storms from the southwest, the mangroves are slowly extending the east side. Phuket, in effect, is gradually moving east.
They also form a protective barrier. After the 2004 Asian Tsunami, it was noted that communities behind mangrove forests suffered less damage than those that were not protected.
Kayak tours of the mangroves can be booked though John Gray’s Seacanoe, or PaddleAsia, or by electric boat with River Rovers.
