Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, Gulf of Mexico

As one of the ten largest ports in the nation, Tampa Bay has lost over 44% of its coastal wetlands (mangrove and saltmarsh) acreage over the past 100 years. Nearly half of the mangrove swamps that once ringed Tampa Bay have been replaced by developments and seawalls. Shipping is obviously big business in Tampa, as is the fishery and tourist side of industry. All these industries effect mangroves.

Mangroves are home to an array of wildlife, both above and below the water. Mounds of oysters frequently colonise mangrove bases. Mangrove islands support 40,000 pairs of nesting birds in Tampa Bay. Loss of this important habitat to land reclamation and subsequent development, and through pollution, has contributed to increased sedimentation flow out of the estuary and a decline in fisheries throughout the bay. One commercial shellfish industry has closed entirely.

State and local regulations have been enacted to protect Florida's mangrove forests. Mangroves cannot be removed, pruned, or disturbed on either state or private land without a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program, established in 1991, aims to help restore wetland habitats, including mangroves, and highlight the serious consequences that a continued assault on wetlands could mean.