At the intersection of land and sea, mangrove forests support a wealth of life, from starfish to people, and may be more important to the health of the planet than we ever realized. ... Mangroves provide nursery grounds for fish; a food source for monkeys, deer, tree-climbing crabs, even kangaroos; and a nectar source for bats and honeybees.This environmentalist travelogue on the importance of mangroves is short but still a tad repetitive, perhaps best a subject for a documentary or an extended magazine article. Still, it covers a less known story that is part of building and maintaining sustainable ecosystems and local economies. I recall reading a book covering somewhat comparable ground regarding how industrial aquaculture, particularly shrimp, has problems just as the land form does. This adds a travelogue vibe, though he is an expert too.
[As noted in comments, I probably should note that the issue here is a sort of monoculture where shrimp farming replaces the complex ecosystems of mangroves, not that collecting shrimp (along with other types of seafood) from the sea is specifically a problem. I have no understanding that the small time shrimp collector is a problem. And, as noted, in that context, shrimp too would have their role.]
An ethical vegetarian (no, not doing it for my health -- I don't eat overly healthy really), seafood is on the margins of my concerns, partially since I was never a big consumer of the stuff. But, there remains some concerns, though the troublesome food here (the book is not mainly focused on shrimp but mangroves -- a type of saltwater forest says the book jacket -- as a whole) is mostly shrimp. Shrimp is seen as sort of the rich man of the sea, a delicacy that is not productive in providing jobs for the average person as compared to other seafood such as mussels, one the greedily takes natural resources for an often short time benefit of the few.
The overall view here is not veganism, however, but sustainable environment. As noted (see link) in Justice Douglas' famous dissent:
So it should be as respects valleys, alpine meadows, rivers, lakes, estuaries, beaches, ridges, groves of trees, swampland, or even air that feels the destructive pressures of modern technology and modern life. The river, for example, is the living symbol of all the life it sustains or nourishes - fish, aquatic insects, water ouzels, otter, fisher, deer, elk, bear, and all other animals, including man, who are dependent on it or who enjoy it for its sight, its sound, or its life. The river as plaintiff speaks for the ecological unit of life that is part of it. Those people who have a meaningful relation to that body of water - whether it be a fisherman, a canoeist, a zoologist, or a logger - must be able to speak for the values which the river represents and which are threatened with destruction.In the (in)famous dissent, he wanted to give standing to natural entities because they have special value. This book notes mangroves are not merely "resources" to exploit but more like things to value like we value people. Concerns were made regarding to threats to local seafood after the BP oil spill, some still remaining, requiring advocates to push. The mangrove too needs a voice and this book helps provide one.