Mangroves are important for a variety of reasons. They provide multiple ecosystem services, such as acting as a natural buffer from storms and floods with their deep root systems; creating habitat and food sources for fish and marine life, acting as nurseries for many species of fish; controlling erosion by stabilizing the seafloor substrate; storing carbon in their roots, thus contributing to climate change mitigation; cleaning pollutants from rivers before they reach the ocean; providing natural resources like wood, wood products, honey, thatch and medicines; serving as a living barrier against sand-drifting and salt water intrusion into nearby freshwater habitats; promoting bio-diversity through complex flora and fauna interactions; providing recreational opportunities such as mangrove kayaking tours or fishing trips.

Dredging and reclamation: vast tracts of mangroves have been destroyed worldwide. In some cases, entire mangrove forests have been bulldozed to make way for port developments, shrimp ponds, urban sprawl, and other developments.

Pollution: Oil spills and agricultural, industrial, and sewage runoff all threaten mangrove ecosystems, since even low levels of contamination can be toxic to river dwelling plants and animals.

Climate change: Global warming is expected to cause sea-levels to rise in the coming years, which could impact thousands of miles of mangrove wetlands by flooding or covering them with salt water.

Overfishing: The overharvesting of fish species that depend on mangrove habitats can disrupt the delicate food chain, leading to a decrease in population numbers among species at the top of the food chain such as dolphins and sharks.

Fishing: Mangroves provide nurseries for numerous species of fish, shrimp, crabs and other organisms which are the main source of food for many local and international communities.

Tourism: Many coastal towns have mangrove forests as tourist attractions due to their unique ecosystem and diverse range of flora and fauna.

Coastal protection: Mangrove trees act like buffers against storms, erosions, floods and sea level rise by stabilising shorelines and reducing wave energy impact by absorbing excess sediment from rivers and trapping land-borne debris.

Wood production: The wood of the mangrove tree is valuable and used in furniture-making, boat building, fuelwood and timber harvest activities.

Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceutical companies use some extracts from mangrove plants in their drugs due to the medicinal properties they possess which makes them highly valuable internationally.

Many species of animals depend on mangroves for habitat and food. These include fish, crustaceans, molluscs, birds (such as herons, storks, ibis, egrets, terns, spoonbills and kingfishers), mammals (such as monkeys and manatees) and reptiles (including saltwater crocodiles and sea turtles). Additionally, plants such as sea grasses and algae rely on mangrove habitats for habitat.