Take a look at the "Mangrove Forest Resource Development Research Center No. 2"

Hello, my dear and lovely friends. Today, I would like to take you for a walk at the Mangrove Forest Research and Development Center 2 in Samut Sakhon Province (on the way from Wat Bang Ya Phraek that I just passed). (The school likes to take elementary school students on a field trip to see the mangrove forest ecosystem.) It is not far from Bangkok. It is a source of a lot of knowledge.

 A mangrove forest is an ecosystem that connects the land and the sea in the tropics and subtropics. It consists of a community of various plants and animals that live together under the conditions of mud, brackish water, and constant seawater flooding. Therefore, mangrove forests are found in coastal areas, river mouths, bays, lakes, and around islands. In coastal areas, mangrove forests can also be called “mangrove forests”, which is another name for the mangrove trees that are found in large numbers.

 In the mangrove forest ecosystem, non-living things and living things in the mangrove forest have a complex relationship, both in terms of nutrient cycling and energy transfer. But it can be simply explained that when the producers, which are plants, grow from photosynthesis, there will be leaves, branches, and wood fragments that fall and accumulate in the water and soil. It will be decomposed by decomposers such as fungi, bacteria, various types of protozoa into organic matter and eventually become minerals returned to the ecosystem. Some are consumed by organic matter-eating groups such as phytoplankton, which will later become a rich source of protein for zooplankton, small aquatic animals that will be consumed further, becoming food for shrimp, crabs, and fish, which will gradually become larger. Or some will die and be decomposed back into nutrients that accumulate in the forest itself. Some nutrients and organic matter are swept out into the water, creating abundance for the sea outside.

 Therefore, mangrove forests are a unique ecosystem with high biodiversity. They are an extremely important component of the coastline. They are a valuable resource in terms of both the economy and the environment of the country, as follows:

 1) Mangroves are a source of energy and raw materials for household use.

Wood from mangroves, especially mangrove wood, can be burned to produce charcoal, which produces good quality charcoal because it produces high heat and does not splinter. In addition, mangrove wood is used as firewood for cooking in the daily lives of people living in and around mangrove forests. In addition, many types of wood from mangrove forests can be used in construction and other uses, such as making piles, supports, construction wood, furniture, and fishing equipment. The bark of some mangrove trees can be extracted from tannin, which is used to dye fishing nets, make ink, paint, glue, and in the leather tanning industry, etc.

 2) Mangrove forests are a source of vegetables and herbs.

Mangrove plants here refer to various plants or species of trees, both herbaceous and perennial, that live in mangrove forests and have different names depending on the area. In each season, local people along the coast have experience and have learned how to use mangrove plants in various ways, both as food and herbs, whether it be leaves, flowers, fruits, shoots, tubers, rhizomes, roots, and bark. The interesting feature of mangrove plants is that they are local resources that can be easily found naturally and produce fruit in every season. There are many types of plants in mangroves that can be used as local vegetables, such as chakram leaves, young shoots, sea purslane, white beans, from, thop thaeban nam prang nu, Lamphu, Lamphan, seaweed, etc.

 Many plants in mangroves have medicinal properties and can be used as herbal medicine, such as fish gums, ghost lime, used to treat skin diseases, white taro fruit, used to treat dysentery and diarrhea, sea urchin roots can be used to treat inflammation, fever, and itching, and boiled galangal can be used to drink to relieve urinary tract diseases and relieve aches and pains, etc.

 3) Mangroves are nurseries for young aquatic animals

They are a source of food, shelter, reproduction, and growth for many types of aquatic animals. Mangroves are homes and nurseries for young aquatic animals, especially the larvae of crabs, shrimp, and shellfish, which are important economic animals, as well as other aquatic animals that are part of the food chain. This is because mangroves are an important food source for the aquatic animals mentioned above, especially many types of fish that are popular for consumption. Many marine fish lay eggs in mangroves and live in the initial stages of growth. When they are strong and healthy, they go out to sea. And many species that lay eggs in the sea, but the larvae will move to the mangrove forest to hide from enemies and find food. Many valuable aquatic animals such as sea bass, moonfish, mullet, grouper, black tiger shrimp, shrimp, oysters, mussels, cockles, mangrove crabs, blue crabs and sea crabs all have some part of their life cycle that requires them to live in the mangrove forest.

 4) Mangrove forests help maintain the balance of coastal and nearby ecosystems.

In particular, the seagrass and coral ecosystems play a role in maintaining the balance of nutrients and the fertility of the coast, which will affect the fertility of fishery resources. Mangrove forests also help retain sediment, preventing it from being deposited and damaging coral reefs.

 5) Mangrove forests help prevent coastal soil erosion.

The tightly woven roots of trees in mangrove forests help reduce the speed of water currents. In addition to reducing erosion and erosion of coastal soil, it also allows the sediment suspended in the water to accumulate and form new land. Over a long period of time, it will expand out to sea. It becomes a mud beach suitable for the growth of mangrove species.

 6) Mangrove forests are areas for absorbing various wastes.

The roots of trees in mangrove forests that grow above the ground act like a natural screen that filters wastes and toxins from land to prevent them from flowing into the sea. Many heavy metals, when carried by water currents, will settle in the mud in mangrove forests. In addition, garbage and oil spills are also trapped in mangrove forests.

 7) Mangrove forests are a natural disaster screen that helps protect the lives and property of people living along the coast.

They act like a fortress to reduce the intensity of waves and wind before they reach the shore, preventing severe damage to homes and farmland of nearby villagers.

 8) Mangrove forests are places for relaxation and nature study.

The mangrove ecosystem is a unique ecosystem. It is a source rich in various species of plants with beautiful and unusual leaves, flowers and fruits. It is also a source of both aquatic and land animals, especially various species of birds that live together, making mangrove forests an ideal place for relaxation and learning. And can be developed into a conservation tourism destination.

 9) Mangrove forests help reduce global warming.

Mangrove forests are considered a source of high carbon accumulation. Many types of mangrove trees have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis more than other types of forests. They also increase the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere by a large amount.

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