Palynological Characterisation of Depositional Environment: Mangrove Swamps

The mangrove sub-environment is characterised by the pioneer genera Avicennia and Sonneratia, with Rhizophoraceae forming the bulk of the vegetation. The associated microfloral assemblage is further characterised by marine phytoplankton. The back-mangrove sub-environment is characterised by Brownlowia, the Bruguiera-group of the Rhizophoraceae and the palms Nypa fruticans and Oncosperma. Alstonia and Pometia occur frequently in the transition zone.

Nypa fructuans lining sungai Anduki, near Seria

In Brunei Darussalam today there is little evidence of the development of the mangrove subenvironment. The mangrove forests of the inner Brunei Bay area are more or less stable rather than extending (Lalanne de Haut et al., 1968). They do not present the conditions required for the pioneer plants Avicennia and Sonneratia. The brackish water belts of the Baram and Belait rivers are populated by Nypa fruticans without real mangrove forests. However, as little as 5,000 years ago the situation was different, as indicated by a 'mangrove clay' which underlies most of the recent peat swamps ("peat and coal formation"; Lalanne de Haut, 1965; Caline and Huong 1992).

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