In Roatan you will find four types of Mangroves, Black Mangrove, White Mangrove, Red Mangrove and Button Wood. Mangrove forest provide a vital service by protecting the coast from hurricane and storm damage. They stabilize the shoreline and trap river sediments, preventing the mud from being deposited on the coral reefs.
Mangrove leaves, nectar and fruit, feed a variety of animals above the water, Decomposing leaves in the water feed an entire different ecosystem. Mangroves serve as important nursery grounds for many marine animals, including valuable species like bonefish, snappers, lobsters, conchs, and shrimps.
These trees have the ability to survive in the salty inter-tidal area by the seacoast. Red mangroves colonize the seaward fringe. These give way to muddy zone of Black mangroves and eventually stretch to the land where White mangroves and Button wood dominate.
They have developed remarkable strategies to deal with their hostile environment. How do they cope with salt water, when they actually depend on fresh water for their survival? Some mangroves have mechanisms for concentrating the salt into their sap. Others remove the salt and store it in old leaves which are ready to fall. Still others actively secrete salt through glands on their leaves or roots.
Roatan Five Stars offers this great experience enjoying the mangrove tunnels in multiple sites in the east end of Roatan, please visit our all day packages section (Mangrove Tunnels Tours) for more details.