 About Ko Lanta
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Articles
-----------------------
Activities |
Welcome to Koh Lanta Island, Krabi, Thailand - Online Reservations Guide
Mangrove Forests on Koh Lanta Island
The word mangroves derives from the Portuguese word "mangue", which over the centuries changed to mangrove. Today, it is either used for this typical plant community that grows along tropical coasts between the levels of high and low tide, or describes several vegetable species that has adapted to the salty soil and the special conditions in a tidal area like Avicennia, Rhizophora, Sonneratia, Laguncularia, Xylocarpus and Heritiera. Mangrove forests are limited to the high-humid climates between the tropic of Capricorn in the North and the tropic of Cancer in the South. In Thailand, they can be found at all shallow coasts along the Andaman Sea, where a periodical change of fresh and sea water occurs and a certain difference between high and low tide exists, like between Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi Islands.
The coastal forests of South East Asia are home to two other typical plants, the Nipa Palm (Nipa fructicans) and the spike-leafed fern Acrostychum, both belong to the oldest higher plants on Earth and have not much changed during the last 60 Million years. As most other palms, the cut flowers of Nipa Palms are producing a sweet syrup, which can be used to make candies or extract sugar. In Thailand and on Koh Lanta Island the leaves are used for cutting cigarette paper out of them. Mangrove trees have solved the problem of staying in the soft mud by arched roots and the pneumatophores, coming out of the ground, are important for the supply with oxygen. The fruits of the mangrove trees are adopted in different ways to this special biosphere. Some are constructed like an arrow to fix into the mud, others are able to develop roots within hours, so that the next tide cannot wash them away. The mangrove swamps of South east Asia are nursery or permanent living area for many animals and therefore from ecological significance for Koh Lanta Island and the Andaman Sea. An extensive story about mangroves can be found in the 2003 edition of the "Lanta Magazine". Please click here.
Web Design by Siam Business Other Travel Destinations: |
