Mangrove Health Card:Approach and Interpretation

Abstract

Evaluation of ecosystem services of mangroves and their economic evaluation are yet unrevealed, although several literatures are available on the use of mangroves as nursery and breeding ground of fishes, sources of timber, honey, wax, firewood etc. Considering the importance of mangroves as primary service providers to coastal populations and island dwellers, it is extremely important to assess the condition of mangrove forest and relate the same with the anthropogenic and natural threats existing in and around the habitats. Relative abundance and Shannon-Weiner species diversity index of true mangrove species can be used as indicators of mangrove health. The present paper is an approach to evaluate the health of mangrove floral species considering 10 sampling stations in Indian Sundarbans during 2014. The mangrove patches in the selected stations were categorized into a 4-point scale depending on the values of Shannon-Weiner species diversity index. The health of the mangrove forest as per our constructed 4-point scale was found to be regulated primarily by anthropogenic factors, although in station like Sagar South, the natural erosion may be the key player in determining the mangrove floral diversity.