Abstract
This study documents comparative variations of macrofaunal densities in a deforested area and a natural mangrove area in Gazi Bay, Kenya, during 1993. Similar groups of both epifauna and infauna were recorded in the two areas with differences in distribution along transects in different sampling sessions. Hence mangrove deforestation decreases biodiversity. Other more striking effects of mangrove deforestation include a decreased availability of wood, fish and prawn, less revenue paid to government in terms of royalties and tourist fees, an increase in coastal erosion and eventual reduction of seagrasses and coral reefs.
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