Marudu Bay Mangrove Recreation Park

Mangrove is an evergreen, salt tolerant plant community, which grows in
inter-tidal coastal zones of tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
They are ecologically important for many fauna species and are rich in
food resources and consist of many different vegetation structures.

They serve as ideal foraging and nursery grounds for a wide array of
species such as birds, mammals, reptiles, fishes and aquatic invertebrates.
In spite of their crucial role, around 50% of mangrove habitats have been lost
and degraded in the past two decades. The fauna diversity of mangrove habitat
at Marudu Bay, Sabah, East Malaysia was examined using various methods:
i.e. aquatic invertebrates by swap nets, fish by angling rodsand cast nets,
reptiles, birds, and mammals through direct sighting.

The result showed that Marudu Bay mangrove habitats harbored a diversity
of fauna species including 22 aquatic invertebrate species (encompassing 11
crustacean species, six mollusk species and four worm species),36 fish species,
74 bird species, four reptile species, and four mammal species.

The wide array of fauna species could be due to the availability of
complex vegetation structures, sheltered beaches and tidal mudflats,
which are rich in food resources and also offer safe foraging and breeding
grounds for them. These heterogeneous habitats must be protected
in a sustainable way in order to ensure the continued presence of aquatic
and terrestrial fauna species for future generations.