Mangrove fauna of Asia

Abstract

Mangrove is a plant community of salt tolerant plant species which grow within transitional or inter-tidal zones of coastal, estuary and riverine areas of tropical and subtropical regions where rivers drain into the sea. They are highly productive habitat for a variety of fauna such as birds, fishes, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and aquatic as well as terrestrial invertebrates. The occurrence of higher diversity of fauna could be due to richness of food resources and diversity of vegetation, i.e. they provide ideal foraging and breeding sites and also shelter for these wide array of animals. Mangrove fauna are an important component of the food web and play a significant role in the mangrove ecosystem. Unfortunately, despite such a richness in animal communities, mangrove areas are still declining at an alarming rate day by day due to human activities. The habitat loss has seriously caused threats to different mangrove dependent animals such as birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, i.e., extinct and critically endangered species. The current information on the various fauna such as reptiles, mammals, invertebrates and fishes in Asia's mangrove ecosystem is not sufficient. In the future, more research is required to determine the various aspects of fauna such as species richness, diversity, distribution and the association of fauna with water quality, food resources and habitats to explore the ways and means to conserve the fauna in and around mangrove areas.