“The most southerly mangroves in the world”

While not strictly a birding topic, nonetheless I think at least some list members may find this item of interest and even some relevance.

I recall once some time ago reading or being told that the White Mangroves (Avicennia marina*) in Port Phillip Bay were “the most southerly mangroves in the world”. Being over at Jawbone Reserve (near Williamstown, approx 10km sw of Central Melbourne – for those not from Melbourne) on Sunday where there is a stand of White Mangroves on the shoreline, with information boards referring to their significance, I got to wondering whether this was accurate information or not.

Some Google work produced the three excerpts that I have reproduced below.

Unfortunately there is lack of consistency in the information provided by these three sources, although it seems pretty clear that Port Phillip Bay is not the most southerly site in Australia . What is less clear is whether we take the prize or whether those upstarts across the Tasman might have pipped us at the post yet again! [Whichever is the winner also clearly takes the world prize for “highest latitude” distribution.]

Does any reader (Aussie or Kiwi – or possibly a world botanist such as those who recently attended a major international botanical conference in Melbourne) have any further light to shed on this new example of cross-Tasman rivalry??!

*White Mangrove (Avicennia marina) – The most developed and extensive Victorian mangrove populations occur in Westernport Bay. White mangroves, Avicennia marina subsp. Australasica, are the only mangroves that grow in Victoria and also grow in most other states except Tasmania.

Richard NOWOTNY

Port Melbourne, Victoria

M: 0438 224 456

Australia’s mangroves are found in all mainland States and Territories with coastal boundaries, including Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Jervis Bay Territory, Victoria, and South Australia. Mangroves are not present in Tasmania. Australia has the third largest area of mangroves in the world after Indonesia and Brazil, totalling around 11,500 km2 representing approximately 6.4% of the world’s total mangrove area. The larger forested areas of Australia’s mangroves, approximately 75%, occur in the humid tropics to the north where human population densities are low. However, there are notable areas of mangroves in temperate regions as far south as Corner Inlet in Victoria around 38° S. This is the most southerly and highest latitude site of mangroves in the world. These southern stands consist entirely of one species, Avicennia marina, a member of the plant family Avicenniaceae.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia Australia has approximately 11,500 km2 of mangroves, primarily on the northern and eastern coasts of the continent, with occurrences as far south as Millers Landing in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilsons_Promontory Wilsons Promontory, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(Australia)> Victoria (38°54′S) and Barker Inlet in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adelaide Adelaide, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Australia South Australia. http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove#cite_note-28> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand New Zealand also has mangrove forests extending to around 38°S (similar to Australia’s southernmost mangrove incidence): the furthest geographical extent on the west coast is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raglan,_New_Zealand Raglan Harbour (37°48′ S); on the east coast, Ohiwa Harbour (near http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opotiki Opotiki) is the furthest south mangroves are found (38°00′S).

Mangroves extend to 31°22′ N in Japan and 32°20′ N in Bermuda, and to 38°45′ S in Australia and 38°59′ S in New Zealand.

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