ANSWER

• INTRODUCTION – WHAT IS SAND MINING
• BODY - IMPACTS OF MINING
• A BRIEF CONCLUSION

A Mangrove is a small tree or shrub that grows along coastlines, taking root in salty sediments, often underwater. The word ‘mangrove’ may refer to the habitat as a whole or to the trees and shrubs in the mangrove swamp.

IMPORTANCE OF MANGROVES

• The importance of mangroves can be seen in maintaining coastal ecology as they perform important ecological functions like coastal protection, hydrological regime, fish-fauna production, nutrient cycling, etc. Mangroves act as a coastal shield as they help prevent soil erosion by reducing high tides and waves. In addition to protecting or maintaining coastal ecology, one more importance of mangroves experienced by coastal communities. Mangroves not only feed or provide support to their inhabitant species but they also provide livelihood opportunities to coastal communities.
• Mangroves protect shorelines from erosion. They protect shorelines from the destruction caused due to cyclones or storms, as mangroves act as a coastal shield. Mangroves also help prevent erosion by stabilizing sediments with their tangled root systems. They maintain water quality and clarity, filtering pollutants and trapping sediments originating from land.
• For different fish and invertebrates, Mangroves serve as valuable nursery areas. Mangroves are a critical part of Florida’s commercial and recreational fishing industries, as it serves as valuable nursery areas for shrimp, crustaceans, mollusks, and fishes. These habitats possess a rich source of food for different fish and invertebrates while also offering refuge from predation. Jack, gray snapper, Snook, tarpon, sheepshead and red drum all feed in the Mangroves. Declination of mangrove habitats would create a great loss for Florida’s fisheries.  Without access to healthy Mangroves, nursery areas of fishes and invertebrates would suffer a dramatic decline which directly or indirectly will affect the growth of its inhabitant.
• Mangroves ensure support to threatened and endangered Species as it offering refuge from predation. They not only support a number of threatened and endangered species but also to commercially important species.
• Threatened species include: American alligator, Green sea turtle, Loggerhead sea turtle, etc. and Endangered species include: American crocodile, Hawksbill sea turtle, Eastern indigo snake, Atlantic saltmarsh snake, Southern bald eagle, Peregrine falcon, Brown pelican, West Indian manatee, Atlantic ridley sea turtle, key deer, Honey bee, etc. At least during some portion of their lifespan, mangroves system is utilized by these species while many other species completely reside their life spans, feeding, and nesting within the mangroves.
• In many parts of the world, Mangroves are utilized as a renewable resource. Various purposes like durable and water-resistant wood mangroves are harvested for. Because of such quality Mangroves have been used in building houses, boats, pilings, and furniture. In the production of charcoal, the wood of the black mangrove and buttonwood trees have also been utilized. Dyes like Tannins and various others are extracted from mangrove bark. Not only the wood and bark of the Mangroves are useful but also the leaves are very useful. Leaves of mangroves have been used in livestock feed, medicine, tea, and also as a substitute for tobacco for smoking. In order to use the nectar in honey production, beekeepers in Florida have set up their hives close to mangroves.
• An ecotone is heterogeneous vegetation zones, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional. The mangroves show similar effects, which means that they have large species diversity in comparison to marine or terrestrial ecosystems. And they are important features of the landscape for several reasons, including their sensitivity to environmental change.

Thus, it can be said from the above statement that mangroves play an important role in sustaining and preserving the coastal ecosystem. The threats posed by human activities can upset the natural balance and cause their depletion.