Psychological benefits of mangroves

By Lara Moussa

Mangrove ecosystems show evidence of the relationship between the environment and human health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with their stressors, understand their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community (WHO, 2022). Additionally, subjective well-being is a multidimensional construct capturing basic human psychological needs, such as security, materials supporting a satisfactory life, health, and successful social relationships.

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Hence, mangrove ecosystems have a significant value for human psychological and mental health restoration behind their wide range of environmental, economic, and social services. This valuable ecosystem can directly or indirectly boost human psychological health, by reducing sources of stress, depression and anxiety, and helping them cope with daily life stressors, and eventually pushing them to be more productive in the community (Ke et al., 2022). 

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The relationship between mangroves and psychological human health can be found in various services provided by this ecosystem. 

The following figure (figure 1) summarizes the link between the different services provided by the mangrove ecosystem and the psychological and well-being components. 

Figure 1. Relationship between mangrove services and psychological/well-being components. 

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Mangroves and environment  

Mangrove ecosystems hold various environmental and climate services, including carbon sequestration, climate change regulation, water purification, natural hazards mitigation, biodiversity and habitat protection, and aesthetic value to cultural heritage (Owuor et al., 2024). These environmental aspects of an area are described as attractive, quiet, and peaceful, significantly supporting high levels of mental well-being. This is mainly associated with the feelings of belonging and self-esteem of coastal communities, in addition to the relaxed and carefree spirit among them (Ke et al., 2022). 

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Mangroves and work opportunities

Mangrove ecosystems offer a range of work opportunities for local and coastal communities, which support livelihood, boost their income/economic status, and ultimately ensure a better quality of life. The work opportunities are mainly associated with the natural resources offered by this ecosystem, including fisheries,  timber, charcoal, honey, and other minor forest products. Local communities use these resources to create economic opportunities for small businesses, such as creating products made from wood or catching and selling fisheries (Ke et al., 2022). According to WHO, decent and ensured work opportunities support human psychological health by providing livelihood, a sense of confidence and stability, and an opportunity to be actively included in a community (WHO, 2022).  Therefore, by offering work opportunities, mangroves prove their capacity to enhance human well-being and livelihood stability. 

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Mangroves and coastal protection

Mangroves have become a significant tool to protect coastlines and have been widely acknowledged for their role as a natural barrier to various environmental risks such as storms, tsunamis, waves, and coastal erosion. By acting as a natural barrier, mangroves can substantially i) reduce the vulnerability of the adjacent coastal land from sea level rise, ii) protect coastal development, industries, and infrastructure, iii) support people by offering more security and stability, and eventually iv) boost and secure better mental health and well-being particularly for coastal communities (Blankespoor et al., 2016).   

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Mangroves and medicines provision

Mangroves (e.g. Ceriops decandra, Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, etc.) are effective natural medicines for different types of diseases (e.g. inflammation, cancer, diabetes, tumor, etc). Their anticancer, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and antidiabetic properties demonstrate the capacity to combat severe life-threatening diseases (Genilar et al., 2021). Given that the quality of life relies on both good physical and mental health, mangroves can highly contribute to overall well-being, by offering cures and treatments to critical infectious diseases (Teoli & Bhardwaj, 2024). 

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Mangroves and food security  

The mangrove ecosystem provides a wide range of benefits, boosting food security and eventually ensuring a better quality of life. Mangroves are home to a wide range of fisheries and aquaculture (e.g. fish, shrimp/prawns, and crabs) making them a valuable resource for food production. Similarly, mangroves (e.g.  Rhizophora stylosa) use their roots to actively filter water, potentially ensuring a supply of nourishing food and potable water in riverine ecosystems (Awuku-Sowah et al., 2023; Kim et al., 2016). Herein, ensuring food security and provision will significantly lead to enhanced well-being, by providing a feeling of security, offering basic material for a good life, and ensuring a healthy lifestyle (Kallesøe et al., 2008). Consequently, these aspects align with reducing psychosocial stressor that negatively impacts human mental health and may lead to further disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and stress (Ejiohuo et al., 2024). 

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Mangroves and tourism/ecotourism 

Recently, mangroves have shown interesting potential in the tourism/ecotourism industry, by offering multiple activities such as education centers, kayaks, places for bird or firefly watching, and river cruises. These services assist coastal communities with their psychological and mental health, by offering different benefits. This includes i) increasing relaxation opportunities and reducing stress and anxiety, ii) opening the door for jobs and enhanced incomes, and iii) improving livelihoods and boosting incomes for better health-seeking behavior (Awuku-Sowah et al., 2023). The integration between mangroves and ecotourism holds a significant value in supporting communities to ensure economic stability, reduce mental stress, and preserve good well-being. 

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What to take home

The various services provided by mangroves play a vital role in enhancing human psychological and mental health, particularly for local and coastal communities relying on these ecosystems. The following summarizes the link between mangrove ecosystems and human well-being (Kallesøe et al., 2008): 

• Shoreline and coastal protection leads to security
• Coastal food provisioning and other products provide the basic material for a good life
• Water quality maintenance maintains good health
• Tourism and recreation, good social relations; and other ecosystem services and constituents of well-being enhance freedom of action and choice

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References: 

1. Awuku-Sowah, E. M., Graham, N. A. J., & Watson, N. M. (2023). The contributions of mangroves to physiological health in Ghana: Insights from a qualitative study of key informants. Wellbeing, Space and Society, 4, 100137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2023.100137
2. Blankespoor, B., Dasgupta, S., & Lange, G.-M. (2016). Mangroves as a protection from storm surges in a changing climate. AMBIO A Journal of the Human Environment, 0, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-016-0838-x
3. Ejiohuo, O., Onyeaka, H., Unegbu, K. C., Chikezie, O. G., Odeyemi, O. A., Lawal, A., & Odeyemi, O. A. (2024). Nourishing the Mind: How Food Security Influences Mental Wellbeing. Nutrients, 16(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16040501
4. Genilar, L., Kurniawaty, E., Azli, R., Mohd Mokhtar, R. A., & Audah, K. (2021). Mangroves and Their Medicinal Benefit: A Mini Review. Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology, 25, 695–709.
5. Kallesøe, M. F., Bambaradeniya, C., Iftikhar, U. A., Ranasinghe, T., & Miththapala, S. (2008). Linking Coastal Ecosystems and Human Well-Being:
6. Ke, G.-N., Utama, I. K. A. P., Wagner, T., Sweetman, A. K., Arshad, A., Nath, T. K., Neoh, J. Y., Muchamad, L. S., & Suroso, D. S. A. (2022). Influence of mangrove forests on subjective and psychological wellbeing of coastal communities: Case studies in Malaysia and Indonesia. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 898276. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.898276
7. Kim, K., Seo, E., Chang, S.-K., Park, T. J., & Lee, S. J. (2016). Novel water filtration of saline water in the outermost layer of mangrove roots. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 20426. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20426
8. Mental health at work. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2024, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work
9. Owuor, M., Santos, T. M. T., Otieno, P., Mazzuco, A. C. A., Iheaturu, C., & Bernardino, A. F. (2024). Flow of mangrove ecosystem services to coastal communities in the Brazilian Amazon. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1329006
10. Teoli, D., & Bhardwaj, A. (2024). Quality Of Life. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536962/
11. WHO. (2022). Mental health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response

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