Different Kinds of Mangrove Forests Provide Different Goods and Services

The goods and services that mangrove forests provide to society are widely understood but may be too generally stated to serve as useful guidelines in decision-making. Understanding the differences between fringe, riverine, and basin forests may help to focus these guidelines and to determine the best use of a particular forest. Fringe mangroves are important primarily for shoreline protection. Riverine forests, which are likely to be the most productive of the three types of forests, are particularly important to animal and plant productivity, perhaps because of high nutrient concentrations associated with sediment trapping. Basin forests serve as nutrient sinks for both natural and anthropogenically enhanced ecosystem processes and are often important sources of wood products. Exploitation of a forest for one particular reason may make it incapable of providing other goods and services.