Salt Marsh and Mangroves (for Coastal Defence) Essay

Salt Marsh and Mangroves (for Coastal Defence) - Essay Example Mangroves provide a good site for fisheries as the nursery grounds for young fish (fingerlings) and for laying their eggs. Mangrove forest cover is a crucial part of the bio-diversity of a locality such as giving a good habitat for a host of marine life. This is proven by the presence of three types of fauna found in mangroves which are resident species (living primarily among the mangroves), the seasonal migrants and the occasional species which visit the mangrove stands once in a while. The scientific study of mangroves and salt marsh as part of the conservation efforts is now a recognized field in engineering and of studies in ecology and oceanography. Mangrove forests are natural ecosystems in many coastal areas around the world and provide a natural coastal defence system which is often overlooked by country planners. Mangroves are a good deterrent against erosion caused by higher sea levels due to global warming and a changed wind pattern from various directions and velocities. Unfortunately, mangroves are under threat today from human activities and expansion. This paper will discuss how mangroves and salt marsh are crucial components in the coastal defence of areas threatened with erosion from tides and strong winds. It will then also tackle other issues concerning mangrove forests such as clearing them for firewood, charcoal and the other human needs such as for certain coastal developments like resorts. (Crossland & Kremer 47). Humans today are increasingly seen as major catalysts for change among coastal processes which had not been examined very closely before. Human interventions in areas of the coast form part of the larger anthropocene in which larger ecosystems are impacted. Various threats to Mangrove Forests – mangroves are under pressure from us humans especially in developed mangrove areas of the world such as those located along the Niger and delta areas of the Ganges-Brahmaputra and the Irrawaddy in Burma (Kathiresan 476). Other threats identified are degradation and destruction of the mangroves, plant disease and glo bal warming from climate changes. Some 90% of identified global mangroves are located in developing countries which make these mangrove forests particularly vulnerable to human exploitation and expansion of human activities. The estimated 18 million kms2 of mangroves in 1997 has since been reduced to a mere 15 million square-kilometres; it takes a long time for mangrove forests to recover once these are destroyed. Human Encroachments – this is perhaps the greatest threat to mangroves due to the various activities of humans such as urbanization (like in Singapore), Bangkok, Rangoon and in India (Calcutta and Bombay). Another is agricultural expansion from reclamation activities and for aquaculture purposes such as building ponds for shrimps. Other reasons are cutting the mangroves for firewood, charcoal and lumber (mangrove timber is highly resistant to the usual deterioration of wood because of high phenol content). The mangrove areas are usually drained of their salt water c ontent using rain water and protected from salt water intrusions. Degradation – this results when the health and productivity of the mangrove areas had deteriorated significantly from various causes. Among identified causes are oil pollution, dumped

The Difference Between the Total Revenue Earned and Total Cost Research Paper

The Difference Between the Total Revenue Earned and Total Cost - Research Paper Example Profit maximisation can occur only when Marginal Revenue and Marginal Costs of production are equal. The SOC, on the other hand, requires that at the point of equality, the slope of MR must be lower than that of MC or rather the MR curve should be falling while MC must be rising. In case that the marginal revenue is found to be greater than the marginal cost of production, normally, it means that an additional unit’s production will reap a revenue greater than the cost incurred in producing the unit. Thus, a firm aiming at profit maximisation will start producing more units of the commodity until the amount of cost incurred is equated with the additional amount of revenue yielded. On the other hand, in case that the marginal cost is found to be higher than the marginal revenue of production, it implies that the additional cost of producing a unit of a commodity is much higher than the revenue that the commodity is reaping. In other words, the production of each additional unit leads to a loss for the firm. Hence, a firm aiming at profit maximisation will not produce beyond the limit where the marginal cost of production is higher than the marginal revenue earned by each unit’s additional production. As a concluding note, it should be said that the above result is found to hold true irrespective of the type of market that the producer is operating in. The only difference comes in the shapes of the MR and MC curves, though the first order and second order conditions stay the same. The situation being depicted is the scenario in most of the markets of the real world. The only exception is the perfect competition market where the marginal revenue curve is a horizontal straight line.