The environmental variables, vegetation structure and floral and faunal recruitment of Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba and Avicennia marina reforested plots (5 yrs., 7 yrs. and 5 yrs. old respectively) were investigated. Particular attention was paid to the recruitment of "new" mangrove species into the monospecific reforested stands, invasion of the stands by macrobenthos (crabs and soil-infauna) and the shift in environmental gradients following reforestation. A naked system (denuded or open) was used to assess the pre-restoration conditions of the reforested area, while a natural system (relatively undisturbed) was used to assess the expected post-recovery conditions of the reforested area. Salinity and temperature were lower (p < 0.05), while organic matter content was higher (p < 0.05) in the areas with mangrove cover. The naked systems were more sandy, while the areas with mangrove cover had higher proportions of clay and silt. There was no apparent floral recruitment into the naked areas, but the reforested stands of S. alba, A. marina, and R. mucronata had 5,400 recruits ha-1, 4,000 recruits ha-1 and 700 recruits ha-1 respectively. Macrobenthic density and soil-infauna taxa richness were higher in the reforested systems (p < 0.05) as compared to the naked systems. The results therefore show that reforestation has led to the recovery of ecological functions which were once lost due to mangrove degradation. Within the context of this study therefore, due to the success in ecosystem functioning of the reforested area, artificial mangrove regeneration can be used as a tool of restoring degraded mangrove areas. |
