The Benefits of Mangroves (Mangrove at Leungah, Aceh Besar)

Coastal and marine areas in Indonesia have an important role. Indonesia's coastal marine waters have high biodiversity such as mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs and various types of biota that live around them. The estuary environment is a very important area for animals and plants. In the tropics as in the estuary environment is generally overgrown with a distinctive plant called mangrove. This plant is able to adapt to sea water puddles high salinity range.

Mangrove forest is an ecosystem that has a considerable carrying capacity to the surrounding environment.
Mangrove has many benefits.All parts of the mangrove tree have their own roles, such as leaf stems, roots and others.Even mangrove leaf litter also has important benefits. Leaf litter is the most important part of mangrove forests against coastal ecosystems. Litter is the material that has died, falling on the surface of the soil and decomposition. The mangrove litter that is broken down by microorganisms then enters the food chain, so it can provide nutrients for organisms that live in the surrounding waters. The forests also serve as nurseries for many fish species, including coral reef fish.

Decomposition of mangrove leaf litter is an important source of organic material in the coastal food chain. Litter decomposition is a simple physical and chemical change by soil microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and other soil animals) derived from animals and plants into simple inorganic compounds.

There is generally an import of inorganic nutrients from the land to the mangroves and an export of organic matter from the mangroves to sea ()