BIRDS Boat-tailed grackle, blue heron, belted kingfisher, gulls,
 hawks, great white heron, brown pelican, little blue heron,
 vireos, prairie warbler, mangrove cuckoo, roseate spoonbill
 osprey, wood stork, southern bald eagle, white ibis, little
 green heron, Louisiana heron

 REPTILES American alligator, crocodile, rat snake

 Information on animals known to occur in specific ecological communities
 is in Appendix C.

LAND USE INTERPRETATIONS

1. Environmental Value as a Natural System.

 The mangrove community is especially important for shoreline protection
 and stabilization. There is some evidence that mangroves serve a function
 in land-building by trapping sediments. Definitely, this community acts
 as a buffer of wind and waves during storm tides. Probably the most
 important function of this ecosystem is that of changing a detrital base
 that accumulates underneath into estuarine production and higher marine
 life. The attraction of water to man has caused many mangrove swamps to
 be lost or altered by dredge and filling for development. Adjacent
 activities may also cause changes in water flow patterns and affect the
 plant composition of this community.

2. Rangeland

 There is no potential for range use.

3. Wildlifeland

 Wildlife is best served by assuring that the mangrove community is not
 destroyed. Mangrove plants themselves seem to be quite hardy appearing as
 specially adapted pioneer plants in a tenacious, but yet fragile
 ecosystem. The mangroves are especially valuable as nesting sites for
 many birds.

4. Woodland

 No commercial use of mangrove wood is known, however, there is some
 potential for use of mangroves in landscaping coastal building
 developments.

5. Urbanland

 This community is subject to a high water table and periodic flooding. It
 therefore has very severe limitations for urban development. Very
 elaborate water management systems and fills are required for urban uses.

 It is difficult to establish salt tolerant vegetation on steep channel
 side slopes and infertile spoil. Special techniques such as mulching and
 unusual seeding and management techniques will be required. Without
 vegetation, erosion and sedimentation become a problem. Intensive
 measures may also be required to maintain design capacity.