Universidade Licungo

Artigo científico Q4

Ceriops tagal (Perr.) C.B. Robinson is the most pressured species by natural and human causes in Macuse mangrove (Mozambique)

Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

The mangrove ecosystem is an important source of resources and services that meet human needs. Despite their relevance, mangroves in southern Zambezia remain poorly known, especially about diversity, distribution, and conservation status. We assessed mangroves' composition, diversity, and conservation status in Macuse, in southern Zambezia, Mozambique. For the floristic survey, 300 m linear transects were laid out. Five sampling points were established on each transect, where 20 x 20 m plots were marked out, where the plants were identified, quantified, and grouped into cutting level categories: intact (no cutting), partial cutting (25% of branches cut), deep cutting (75% of branches cut), complete cutting (stump) and death by natural causes. We recorded 14,116 individuals belonging to eight species, namely: Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Ceriops tagal, Heritiera littoralis, Lumnitzera racemosa, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, Xylocarpus granatum, with C. tagal being the most abundant species. The rarefaction curve reached an asymptote, indicating a low probability of recording new species even with increased sampling effort. We recorded 69% of the individuals intact, 2.8% with partial cuts, 2.2% with deep cuts, 9.3% with the trunk completely cut, and 16.7% dead due to natural causes. C. tagal was the species most pressured by natural and human causes. These results provide a good level of conservation of the studied mangroves; however, there is a need to strengthen actions aimed at greater conservation, thus reducing human pressure on mangroves.

Composition; mangroves; extraction; rarefaction curve; Mozambique

12

3

051 - 062

0

Artigo científico Q4

Docente

Português

Moçambique

Universidade Licungo

25/12/2024

https://repositorio.unilicungo.ac.mz/documento/NZR9032ba20261413J9FG/detalhes