Page 151 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

SEAGRASS BEDS AND KELP FORESTS 149

INDIAN OCEAN WEST
Gazi Bay

COASTAL TYPE Shallow
bay and fringing reef
WATER TYPE Tropical
PRIMARY VEGETATION
Seagrasses and
mangroves
LOCATION 30 miles (50 km) south of Mombasa, Kenya
Gazi Bay’s shallow, subtidal mud and
sand flats are sheltered by fringing
coral reefs. Twelve species of seagrass
grow on the mudflats, and these
seagrass beds cover about half of the
bay’s 6 square miles (15 square km).
Mangrove-lined creeks flow into the
bay, and this unusual proximity of
mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef
systems has led to scientific studies on
how they interact. The seagrass beds
proved to be important in trapping
particles washed into the bay from the
creeks. Most were trapped within 1/4
1
miles (2 km) of the mangroves. The MANGROVES AND SEAGRASS
seagrass beds provide food directly for Unusually for mangrove-lined creeks,
shrimp larvae, zooplankton, shrimp, the water here is clear, and stands of
and oysters, and they are the main seagrasses are able to flourish in the
feeding grounds of all the fish in the waterways leading into Gazi Bay.
bay, making them very important
to the health of the local fisheries.

At least 11,600 square miles (30,000 revealed that crustaceans were the
INDIAN OCEAN EAST HUMAN IMPACT
square km) of sea bed around dominant food source. However, a
Lombok Indonesia is covered by seagrasses. species of Tozeuma shrimp found there THREAT FROM
In the warm, shallow lagoons and avoids the attention of predators by
COASTAL TYPE bays, 12 species of seagrass flourish. having an elongated body colored TOURISM
Semi-sheltered bays on Gerupuk Bay in the south of the green with small white spots, a perfect
rocky coast
island of Lombok contains 11 of the camouflage against seagrass leaves. The islands of Southeast Asia
WATER TYPE Tropical 12 Indonesian seagrass species, with At low tide, local people use sharp contain the greatest diversity
PRIMARY VEGETATION Enhalus acoroides and Thalassodendron iron stakes to dig for intertidal of seagrasses in the world, but
Seagrasses ciliatum forming dense stands. Analyses organisms, and this damages the human activity threatens them in
LOCATION Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia of the gut contents of fish that live seagrass leaves and roots, thereby many places. Tourism is a means
among seagrass in Lombok’s waters threatening the survival of the beds. of bringing a much-needed boost
to many local economies and this
necessitates the building of hotels
and other tourist facilities in
previously unspoiled areas.

HOTEL DEVELOPMENT
Future tourist development in the region may
threaten the Lombok seagrass beds as a result
of pollution and loss of habitat through the
building of beach facilities, such as marinas.

BAY OF PLENTY OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS
The seagrass beds in Lombok’s bays are a
source of seaweeds, sea urchins, sea
cucumbers, mollusks, octopus, and
milkfish for the area’s inhabitants.