ATBC 2008 - Berrenstein

Symposium

Diversity, Ecology and Dynamics of Mangroves : within- and between-continent comparisons

Organizer : Haydi Berrenstein (h.berrenstein -at- conservation.org) ,

Covering only 1% of the global area of tropical forests and characterized by very low plant diversity, mangrove is nevertheless a key formation of the tropical and subtropical domains. This very specialized ecosystem colonizing around 75% of the tropical coastlines plays a major role at the land-ocean interface in this area, and its ecological and economic benefits do not need to be further demonstrated. Structure, dynamics and functioning of mangrove forest are discussed in numerous scientific articles as well as questions related to mangrove flora characteristics, taxa distribution and evolution, growth and survival mechanisms, interaction with biota, phenology, phytogeography and dispersal routes of main mangrove species. Mangrove management and uses, direct and indirect economic values, mangrove planting and restoration are also important questions of interest for both the scientific and socio-economic communities. All of the questions could be discussed in the framework of this mangrove symposium, while highlighting features of different mangrove areas and cross-continental comparisons. Characteristics of the Suriname coastline, in the center of the unique Guyana mud coast extending from the Amazon mouth to the Orinoco mouth, will be also important to consider. Coastline changes and mangrove dynamics, sedimentological processes, hydrology, stress on the system, interactions with mangrove structure and functioning, could be highlighted and compared with case studies from different parts of the world where mangroves occur.

Sedimentological processes and mangrove dynamics in the Amazonian coastal zone. Photo: Christophe Proisy.