Abstract

Mangrove forests exemplify irreplaceable natural resources due to their role in the conservation of biodiversity and their value for coastal ecosystems. Extending from the seashore to a region some distance inland, mangroves help in the prevention of coastal erosion, wave action, storm surge, and rise in sea levels. Moreover, they are also important brithplaces or breeding grounds of diverse flora and fauna and biodiversity serving as important frameworks for intricate food networks in an outlined biome. This paper assesses the literature on the value of mangrove forests with extracts from ecosystem case studies form different regions of the world to understand the comprehensive approach of mangrove forests in facilitating coastal defense mechanisms and vegetation life. The study takes into account the integrated approach which builds coping strategies to withstand the fundamental socio-economic tide of change in mangrove resilience mechanisms, socio-economic value for coastal population, and climate change, deforestation, land use change, and development threats. In addition, the paper analyzes the issues surrounding the conservation and restoration of mangrove forests with an emphasis on integrated approaches towards the management of these resources as the predominant means for the preservation of the environment. Results suggest that conserving mangrove forests optimally balances the need for coastal environment aging ecosystem and strengthening biodiversity and hyper resilient measures for climate reality risk in global environmental change.

Keywords: Mangrove forests, Coastal protection, Biodiversity enhancement, Ecosystem services, Climate change adaptation, Habitat conservation, Restoration strategies