Mangrove Forests, Ecotourism and Their Services

Rainforests house 40% - 75% of all species of plants, birds, animals and microorganisms on Earth. Many of the endangered animals, birds and plants are unique or indigenous to the rainforests country of origin.

They also provide a home for many of the world's most fascinating animals. To name but a few: the orangutan of Borneo Island, the rafflesia of Southeast Asia, jaguar indigenous to the Amazon rainforests, the cobalt poison dart frog of Costa Rico, the gorillas of Africa, the anaconda of tropical South America and so on.

(Pic; Rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world,
is endemic to Southeast Asia. It can be found
in the forests of Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Sumatra and Java )

But experts fear that the forests will be lost by 2050 at the rate the forests lands are cleared for commercial motives and lost due to natural disasters, in the light of increasing incidences and intensities of climate extremes. Every second, there is 1.5 acres of forest land loss. Since forests act as carbon sinks, maintaining forests and their ecosystems contribute not only to reduced emissions, but also to adaptation to future climate change.

Forest Ecotourism

promotes conservation of natural ecosystems in ecologically fragile regions
supports and benefits the economies of local communities
provides the public with a nature-based education experience
introduces visitors to local culture

Thus there is a need to adopt a sustainable approach to the management and utilization of precious forest/natural resources. Sustainable ecotourism can help in mitigating climate change, as the revenue generated from tourist visits can be channeled into improving the livelihood of communities, a deterrent to deforestation.

Mangrove Forest Ecotourism

The indigenous biodiversity offers great attraction to tourists and poses as great assets in ecotourism economy. Here is one out of the countless examples of biodiversity as a prime factor in promoting ecotourism, in Malaysia. A specific example in consideration is the renowned natural heritage of mangrove forest with its unique firefly-lit 'Christmas trees', insects, butterflies and bird sanctuary of 156 species of Kuala Selangor, including kingfishers, shrikes and waders,.

The fireflies reside only in mangrove areas. They can only be seen in two locations around the world. Besides Kuala Selangor in Malaysia which breeds one of the biggest firefly colonies in the world, the other being along the Amazon River in Brazil. The firefly site along the Kuala Selangor is particularly popular as it is easily accessible by boat.

The small fishing village of Kuala Selangor,
60 km from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, has attracted tourists from all over the world who come to witness the famous synchronized flashing of fireflies. The firefly phenomenon has turned this quiet fishing village into a bustling tourist site by night.
(Pic on the right: The mangrove trees along the riverbank will be turned into 'Christmas trees' by night)

During the day, fireflies retreat behind the mangroves. By night, hundreds of thousands feed on nectar from mangrove trees, attracting mates with their synchronized flashing. The chemical reaction in the thorax of the insect produces a green fluorescence at a rate of 3 flashes per second. The male fireflies synchronize flashes within 1/30th of a second of each other.
(Pic: Scintillations from the fireflies portray a breadth-taking, spectacular scene of blinking Christmas trees lining the entire riverbank, with shimmering reflections)

The mangrove swamp is an ideal place for bird watchers as it serves as a bird sanctuary for indigenous and migratory birds, including the attractive kingfishers, shrikes, dark green and yellow great tit (Parus major) and waders.

Migratory milky storks

The Bird Sanctuary

Great tit

Rich marine resources and wood products from the mangrove forests provide sources of income for villagers. Mangrove trees have complicated inter-twined root systems that provide shelter and breeding grounds for fish, amphibious mudskippers, blue and orange fiddler crabs, swamp snails, otters and host of marine organisms.
(Pic: blue and orange fiddler crabs)

Mangrove trees flourish in salty environments where other trees would die. While some block absorption of salt at their roots, others secrete excess salt through their leaves, allowing them to survive in harsh salty environment. As such, they partially block the intrusion of sea-water inland thereby reducing salinization of soil and water.


Mangroves are salt-tolerant evergreen forests found along coastlines, lagoons, rivers or deltas in tropical and subtropical countries.		The blue-eared kingfisher, common sight of mangrove swamps

The impenetrable root system of the mangrove swamps helps to keep waters clean and clear by slowing the flow of water, or avoiding turbulence. Their physical stability helps to prevent shoreline erosion, shielding inland areas from severe damage during hurricanes and tidal waves. The coastal mangrove forests help to shield several Indonesian islands and Malaysia's northwest coastline from the worst effects of the Tsunami Disaster at the Indian Ocean December 2004 which claimed 200 000 lives. Since then, countries in the Indian Ocean, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, have planted extensive stretches of mangrove trees along the coastline to block and to reduce the impact velocity of the waves in anticipation of catastrophe recurrence.

The then Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called for their preservation. "Mangroves should not be touched, they act as a barrier for big waves...they break the waves, and they save lives, " Abdullah said.

Unfortunately due to weak enforcement coupled with a stronger lure of more immediate monetary returns, like all other heritage of nature, the habitats of Kuala Selangor is facing increasing threats. These threats come from construction of the Sungai Selangor Dam, waste pollution; land clearing for oil palm agriculture and shrimp farms and the use of agricultural pesticide. Forestry Department statistics show that peninsular Malaysia had 85,800 hectares (214,500 acres) of mangrove swamp forests in 2003, down from 86,497 hectares in 2002.

This results in decline of firefly colony and mangrove snail populations because the firefly larvae and their prey snails depend on natural riverine vegetation. There are clear signs of onset of destruction to a delicate ecosystem that is home to hundreds of species. These have adversely affected the ecotourism industry. The saying goes among the folks ' If you want to watch the fireflies at work, go now before they are gone forever.'

To sustain the ecotourism industry, there need to be recognition of the importance of the firefly colony at the community level. The Government on its part needs to channel revenue generated from firefly watching activities into conservation of the mangrove swamp habitats.

Rainforest Ecotourism:

The National Park of Malaysia, or more popularly known as Taman Negara, is another example of ecotourism site arising from the prevalent rainforests. It fact, Taman Negara houses one of the oldest rainforests in the world, with an estimated age of 130 million years. The abundance and diversity of nature here is phenomenal, making it one of the world's most complex and rich ecosystems. An estimated 746 bird species thrives in this tropical paradise in addition to the seasonal presence of migratory species.

References and related news:

Malaysia: Convertin Mangrove Forests into Shrimp Farms: WMR.org.uy
Development Threatens Malaysia's Mangroves: Planetark Jun 21, 2005
Kuala Selangor Fireflies: Journeymalaysia.com

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