Mangrove swamps not only serve as sources of energy and food but also help protect the ecological balance along coastlines. Mangrove forests are also vitally important and highly beneficial as they are areas where a great variety of plants and aquatic and land animals live. They play a critical role in sustaining the livelihoods of people in different forms including reduction of wave damage which results in coastal erosion, reduction of storm surges, and acting as a filter that prevents untreated industrial wastes from flowing into the sea and causing damage to aquatic animals and coastal ecosystems.
