Mangroves represent far more than just a ‘bio-shield’. Despite being regarded for many years as ‘wastelands’, ripe for development, it is now known that mangroves provide coastal communities with many services and utilizable products, and perform vital ecosystem functions.

This report concludes that the conversion of mangrove habitat into shrimp farms, tourist resorts, agricultural and urban land over the past decades, as well as destruction of coral reefs, contributed significantly to the catastrophic loss of human lives and settlements during the 2004 tsunami. Conserving and restoring coastal mangrove areas is essential if coastal communities are to recover and be protected from future similar events.