Introduction

    Mangroves are group plants belong to several families found in sheltered tropical and subtropical shores, which receive inputs from regular tidal flushing, and from freshwater streams and rivers. (Tam and Wong, 2000)

 

     Mangrove environments are dominated by periodic fluctuations and extremes in physico-chemical parameters due to the tides.  Salinity, level of oxygen in soil, temperature, availability of fresh water is all changing daily, monthly and annually. These fluctuations in environmental factors made the growth of organisms difficult. Therefore, there is a must for mangrove plants to develop special adaptations for different parameters like high salinity, water logged anaerobic soils, unstable substratum, desiccation etc.

 

    Although the habitats of mangroves sound very harsh for human beings, mangrove communities have great ecological values by supporting growth of great diversity and great amount of lives.

     Located at 22^o30'N and 114^o10'E, mangroves in Hong Kong is a representative of that in the South China Sea region. However, the mangroves in Hong Kong is relatively scatted, number of plant species, stature also limited when comparing with the tropics. Furthermore, many existing mangroves in Hong Kong are under threaded by pollution, reclamation and urban development. Deep Bay and Tolo Harbour, through the years, lost 85% and 42% of mangrove abundance respectively (Tam and Wong, 2000). Therefore, protection of mangrove ecosystems is getting important in Hong Kong.

  

 

     

Mangrove in Tsim Bei Tsui, facing the stress of urban sprawl