Taking Care of Mangroves in the U.A.E.

Taking Care of Mangroves in the U.A.E.

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes 25° N and 25° S. The word is used in at least three senses: (1) most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal,[1] for which the terms mangrove forest biome, mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, (2) to refer to all trees and large shrubs in the mangal, and (3) narrowly to refer to the mangrove family of plants, the Rhizophoraceae, or even more specifically just to mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora.
Uses of Mangroves
  * The bark, leaf shoots and roots of the trees supply tannin used for dyes, leather preservatives and furniture stains.
  * Mangrove sap is used by East Africans and Polynesians to make the black dye for tapa cloth.
  * Leaves are used for livestock food, as "green manure" in fishponds, and as tea and tobacco
  * The fruits are said to be edible and flowers are a source of honey and fish poison.
  * Mangroves are being studied as a source of pesticides and agrochemical compounds.
  * Toxins found in mangroves may play a future roll in repelling insects.
  * Resin extracted from the tree is used in producing plywood adhesives. The manufacture of chipboard and pulpwood (newspaper and cardboard), all depend on by-products of the red mangrove.
  * The ash of the red mangrove is used as a soap substitute and other mangrove extracts are used to produce synthetic fibers, such as rayon, and cosmetics.
  * Mangroves are also used as a source of food (mangrove-derived honey, vinegar, salt and cooking oil) and drink (alcohol and wine).
  * In Japan, Australia and the United States, germinated propagules are planted in non-porous pots, making unique houseplants.
Medicinal Uses

Numerous mangrove plants are used in folklore medicine. Extracts from mangroves and mangrove-dependent...