Handbook on Protocol for Mangrove Herbarium

The term mangrove originates from the Senegalese word ‘mangue’, which means `into the sea’. The mangrove ecosystem is considered the most productive ecosystem in the world and is characterized by excess salt in its environment (air, soil, water). Physically, they play an important role in regulating the environment.

They serve as a buffer between marine and terrestrial communities and protect shorelines from damaging winds, waves, and floods. They improve water quality by filtering pollutants and trapping sediments from the land, and they reduce coastal erosion. Ecologically, they provide habitat for a diverse array of terrestrial organisms, and many species of coastal and offshore species rely exclusively on mangroves as their breeding, spawning, and hatching grounds.