Preface

Abstract

Biocomplexity Research Team, c/o laboratory of General Botany and Nature Management, Mangrove Management Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Begium e-mail: fdahdouh@vub.ac.be Fig. 1 Due to degradation of a coastal mangrove lagoon in Southern Sri Lanka an adverse canopy turnover was observed from typical and vulnerable mangrove trees species with particular physical, ecological and ethnobiological functions to species that do not have similar functions such as the Mangrove Apple Sonneratia caseolaris. However, the degradation was balanced by the commercialisation of this species for and by local people. Although this is a nice example of how traditional ethnobiological knowledge has been patented for the benefit of the people, it is not yet known to which extent this novel use outbalances ecological functions lost. For more information see Jayatissa et al. (this issue)