RAP PUBLICATION 2006/07 MANGROVE GUIDEBOOK FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA The designations and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its frontiers or boundaries. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone and do not imply any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO. Authored by: Wim Giesen, Stephan Wulffraat, Max Zieren and Liesbeth Scholten ISBN: 974-7946-85-8 FAO and Wetlands International, 2006 Printed by: Dharmasarn Co., Ltd. First print: July 2007 For copies write to: Forest Resources Officer FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Maliwan Mansion Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200 Thailand E-mail: [email protected] ii FOREWORDS Large extents of the coastlines of Southeast Asian countries were once covered by thick mangrove forests. In the past few decades, however, these mangrove forests have been largely degraded and destroyed during the process of development. The negative environmental and socio-economic impacts on mangrove ecosystems have led many government and non- government agencies, together with civil societies, to launch mangrove conservation and rehabilitation programmes, especially during the 1990s. In the course of such activities, programme staff have faced continual difficulties in identifying plant species growing in the field. Despite a wide availability of mangrove guidebooks in Southeast Asia, none of these sufficiently cover species that, though often associated with mangroves, are not confined to this habitat. These species include not only grasses, herbs and ferns, but also trees, shrubs and climbers. Experts working for Wetlands International in Indonesia realized this constraint and commenced preparation of a mangrove guidebook with this extended scope in mind. By 2002, information had been compiled for 204 species. At the beginning of 2003, Wetlands International proposed a partnership with FAO to produce a mangrove guidebook for the whole of Southeast Asia. Thus, a joint effort began. Two and a half years later, a 534 page manuscript with many illustrations had been prepared with the aid of reviews by national mangrove experts. Further editorial work continued by the authors from Wetlands International and FAO forestry officers. After nearly three years of hard work, this mangrove guidebook has been completed, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce this unique publication to those who study, manage, conserve and utilize mangrove forests. This book will contribute to guiding more people, especially the younger generation, to learn about mangrove forests in Southeast Asia. Thus, it supports further advancement of mangrove conservation and rehabilitation programmes. We should all acknowledge with thanks the work done by the main authors headed by Mr Wim Giesen, mangrove botanist for Wetlands International, Mr Stephan Wulffraat, forester, now with WWF Indonesia, two FAO foresters, Dr Mette Loyche Wilkie, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO, Rome, Italy, and Mr Masakazu Kashio, Forest Resources Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand, and all of the reviewers in many countries for their valuable contributions. Without their painstaking efforts, this publication would not have seen the light of day. iii We would also like to express our appreciation to the “Forestry programme for early rehabilitation of Asian tsunami-affected countries (OSRO/GLO/ 502/FIN)”, which is funded by the Government of Finland, for providing financial support to print the first 1 000 copies of this guidebook. This publication is a useful tool for mangrove forest managers, foresters, coastal resource managers, scientists, students and interested lay persons, not only in Southeast Asian countries, but also in many other countries where mangroves grow. He Changchui Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations iv It is with great pleasure that I am writing the foreword for this guide to the mangroves of Southeast Asia. Its development started in 1991 when a young Dutch student, Stephan Wulffraat, entered my office in Bogor (Asian Wetland Bureau – Indonesia), inquiring about possibilities for aninternship. I had worked extensively along the coasts and in the mangrove swamps of West Malaysia and Sumatra and often found it tedious to identify various plant species associated with these magnificent areas; not so much the true mangroves – which comprise relatively few species – but the many species in the backswamps, the slightly elevated areas and the sandy ridges associated with this brackish water habitat. For these, no concise field guide existed. As a Dutch researcher I was used to the fantastic field guides that can be obtained in almost any bookshop in Europe. For students in Southeast Asia it is much more difficult to get acquainted with the tremendous biodiversity around them. There are many more species but hardly any field guides. They have to scramble through many incomplete inventories, herbaria and obscure scientific papers. I believe that this dearth of access to basic knowledge is one of the most significant constraints for both the public and young scientists in Southeast Asia to develop a true appreciation of their biologically rich environment. I believe that this also sustains the limited understanding and awareness of the ecology of mangroves and their incredible productivity and usefulness for people. I suggested Stephan to start the development of a field guide to the mangroves and associated plants species of Indonesia. I did not foresee that this would become a long process, hampered by lack of funding but carried on through the enthusiasm and interest of its consecutive authors and the drawing talents of Wahyu Gumelar, Triana, Iskak Syamsudin and Tilla Visser. The most significant driving force of it all was Wim Giesen, who was involved from the start and in the end even took the step to expand the focus to Southeast Asia. I would like to thank FAO for their support in the development and publication of this guidebook. At last, here it is. I am extremely pleased with the end result. I call on students and nature lovers of Southeast Asia to go out there, study and appreciate why and how mangroves should be managed and protected, and to become knowledgeable advocates for their plight. Too many valuable areas have been lost. It is time to turn the tide. Marcel Silvius Senior Programme Manager Wetlands International Wageningen, The Netherlands v AUTHORS’ PREFACE The aim of this book is to provide those involved with the management and conservation of mangroves in Southeast Asia with a guidebook for identifying mangrove plants. At the same time, the book aims to provide a brief introduction to mangroves in general and Southeast Asia’s mangroves in particular. This would then also be of use to students and interested lay persons. Accordingly, the book has been split into two parts: part one deals with the mangrove habitat in Southeast Asia, while part two focuses on the mangrove plants themselves. The core of the book is formed by the black- and-white drawings of mangrove plants, skilfully drawn by Wahyu Gumelar, Tilla Visser, Iskak Syamsudin and Triana at the Wetlands International – Indonesia Programme office in Bogor, West Java. Various guidebooks exist for mangroves of Southeast Asia, but all have a limited geographic scope covering only one country: Malaysia (Watson, 1928), Papua New Guinea (Percival & Womersley, 1975), Indonesia (Kitamura et al., 1997; Noor et al., 1999) and the Philippines (Aragones et al., 1998). An even more severe limitation of these guidebooks is that they focus almost exclusively on so-called ‘true mangrove species’ – i. e. species that occur in the mangrove habitat only and are not found in other habitats. While this is an approach that is common world-wide, the disadvantage is that many plant species found in the mangrove habitat are not dealt with, which can be most frustrating. Another disadvantage of most existing guidebooks is that they tend to ignore species other than trees and shrubs. Epiphytes and lianas, for example, are often ignored entirely even though some may only be found in mangroves. Up to now, identifying all plants found in Southeast Asian mangroves was a daunting task, as comprehensive taxonomic works (or ‘floras’) of the region are bulky (Flora of Java, Tree Flora of Malaya), or both bulky and far from complete (Flora Malesiana, Flora of Thailand). The region is endowed with the world’s largest expanse of mangrove that at the same time is also the world’s most biologically diverse and varied in structure. This unparalleled natural heritage gives the region a particular responsibility, while providing a unique opportunity for all those wanting to study and enjoy this wondrous habitat. This book represents the first attempt at covering all mangrove plant species in Southeast Asia, and is likely to be incomplete. The authors would therefore warmly welcome additional information, especially regarding geographic coverage and additional species not covered, so that this can be updated in future editions. Please forward your comments and suggestions to the lead author, Wim Giesen, at: [email protected] vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the many external experts who kindly gave their advice and assistance: