The local people living on products supplied by mangrove forests, in a additional. way, are the main community groups suffering from mangrove clearing.

Mangrove destruction increases the exposure to estuaries and lagoons to the natural forces. Removal of the unique root system leads to reduced accretion of new lands, and to increased salutation of the coastal water bodies with increased coastal abrasion through storm and wave energy.

Disturbance to the Food Chain The link between terrestrial and marine ecosystems is disrupted which cause a disturbance of the food chain, with drastic consequences for all organisms in the ecosystem, many of which are of commercial importance.

Removal of mangroves leads to a deterioration in surrounding water quality. Nutrients are reduced and with less removal of heavy metals and less absorption of toxic hydrocarbons.

Clearing of mangroves removes important breeding and spawning areas for marine organisms, which adversely affect the local fisheries and aquaculture. It also leads to a loss of species diversity and wildlife habitat. Mangroves are usually cleared to give way to coastal projects like prawn shrimp farms but they are also destroyed for expansion of human settlement