The mangrove is a woody plant growing in tropical and subtropical tidal areas.Known as "forest in the sea," mangrove trees play a key role in coastal ecological protection. The form of the mangrove is very odd: its roots resemble animal claws and as they grow they twist their way down deep into the mud where they trap branches, leaves,fruits and decayed matter that has fallen into the sea; as a result, little islets are formed,which become the direct or indirect source of nutrients for aquatic life. The mangroves also provide a haven for insects, birds, algae, primitive organisms, fish and shrimp,and these things together form a unique ecology. There are said to be over thirty kinds of mangrove, and nearly twenty of them can be found in the Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve. Such large areas of Rhizophora stylosa are exceedingly rare in China.
The Shankou Mangrove Nature Reserve in Beibai is one of China's first five national ocean nature reserves. It covers an area of eighty square kilometers and has a fifty-kilometer-long coastline. The dense mangrove forest binds the coastline along Beibu Bay, like a green belt. dozens of kilometers long, intensifying its beauty. Often, from out of the green waters and forest.a group of cranes will take flight, circling between sea and sky in a truly amazing show. When the tide goes out the mangrove roots can be seen. and it is possible to walk through the dense woods. But when the tide is up the forest is submerged except for the crowns.dotted here and there like rugs, and it is fun to row among them in this ocean forest.
