Mangroves are the first things that meet the eye in this area. They lie like a green scum between sea and land, wedding the salt waters to coasts.

Shankou Mangrove Forest Nature Reserve lies along the 50 km eastern and western coastlines of the Shatian Peninsula, south of Hepu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, covering 8000 hectares.

Since the plants are rooted and fixed whilst seawa-ter fluxes tidally through the system, nutrients are pre sent in greater abundance than in most other marine habitats. Many species live in mangroves on their extensive trunks and aerial roots. These species include single—celled algae, deposit feeding invertebrates and a variety of suspension feeders. The aerial shoots and branches are essentially terrestrial habitats and support an essentially terrestrial fauna. The surface of the sediment therefore forms an interface between the marine and terrestrial ecosystems and there crabs and prosobranchs share the environment with insects, spiders and snails. And here you would stumble across a complete representation in concentrated form of sea birds. monkeys, snakes, lizards .frogs and toads.

With its distinctive landforms and unique natural landscape, the Reserve has become tourist attraction and scientific research base.