Mangrove forests, which grow in tropical intertidal areas and estuary mouths, constitute a critical habitat for a diverse marine ecology, but are rapidly disappearing and degrading as a result of development, charcoal and timber industries, and a burgeoning, unregulated shrimp/prawn farming industry. MAP's 400 NGOs and 250 scientists from 60 nations are engaged in the restoration and protection of mangrove forests, in education, and in working towards a sustainable aquaculture through regulation and eco-friendly practices.