Forest Types
Mangrove
Most mangrove forests are located along Australia’s northeastern, northern, and northwestern tropical coastlines. They are an important feature of coastal ecosystems and form dense stands in muddy estuaries, inlets and bays. To cope with the lack of oxygen in these soft waterlogged soils, they have developed aerial roots that rise above the surface of the water.
Australian Mangrove forests are no longer harvested commercially for timber, although indigenous people do use the plants as a source of honey and fruit and sometimes for medicinal purposes.
Mangrove forests also make a valuable contribution to the commercial fishing industry, providing habitat for prawns, barramundi and other fish.
Mangrove forests are an important part of wetland and estuary ecosystems, recycling nutrients, influencing currents, and providing breeding sites for birds, fish and other wildlife.
For more information on Mangrove forests: Read the National Forestry Inventory’s Mangrove Forest Profile.
Mangrove Forest
Photo: National Association of Forest Industries
