The Mangrove Information Center in Kuta Bali-part II

According to the sign in the office the purpose of the Mangrove Information Center is collecting useful data, establishing technology to recover mangrove forests and setting up of technical and managerial methods for the sustainable Mangrove Management System. I walked to another building which was empty except for an office and on the way noticed tanks with models of mangrove forests with flowing water. The ladies in the office gave me a free map of the place and promised to look after my helmet. Strolling out into the boiling sunshine I found the start of a boardwalk and continued along totally alone. The brochure explained a bit about the type of mangrove found here and also that garbage, in the form of plastic bags and other eco-unfriendly items, actually was part of the cause of the deforestation.

Reading one of the signs along the route I learned that mangrove swamps have a mixture of fresh and salt water and the plants and animals that live there are specially adapted to deal with it. One tree, the Aegiceras has chili shaped fruit and excretes salt which forms crystals on the leaves. Amazing when you consider salt is actually poisonous to most plants. In this case the salty water is taken in by the roots, the excess salt is absorbed through the cambium and excreted through the stomata (much like the way my body processes Storm beer).