Mangroves

Mangroves are one of the most underrated of all ecosystems.

They have long been looked down upon because of their smell, the difficulty in accessing them, and the way they block our coastal views, and grow on the land around estuaries where many of us Australians live.

But they fascinate biologists in the plant's evolutionary adaptations. They provide nurseries for many of our commercial fisheries. And they offer protection and stabilisation along our coasts.

Increasingly we are realising the positive things about mangroves, and now there are several places to view them. There are a number of boardwalks that have been built to elevate you up and out of the sticky mud and annoying roots.

In Cairns, just near the airport there is a great boardwalk that goes through various mangrove types, from stands of stunted Orange Mangroves, to dark forests of Tall stilted mangroves.

In the Daintree area, Marrdja boardwalk near Cape Tribulation goes through rainforest and then loops through mangrove forest that is inundated by sea water every day.

(more to come...)