Focusing on Venezuela and Mexico, this edited volume from the International Society of Halophyte Utilisation (ISHU) explores the environmental issues facing South and Central America's coastal ecosystems, and discusses the uses of mangrove species and other halophytes in addressing issues of both coastal pollution and upland soil salinisation.

The book draws on expertise from Europe and South America to present a series of case studies that detail Venezuela's saline ecosystems and examine the economic potential of mangrove restoration and halophyte production. It includes cutting-edge research into the establishment of new mangrove stands which could serve as prototypes for the sustainable use of halophytes, including Chenopodium quinoa and Tamarix aphylla . Moreover, the detailed examples from Venezuela and other Caribbean countries provide useful models for comparison with halophyte utilisation in other parts of the world especially the Mediterranean region, where much of the earlier research of the ISHU had been conducted.

Including insights from 50 years of research on the Venezuelan coastline this unique book provides a useful reference for researchers working on saline ecosystems and economically useful halophytes around the world.

New cash crops with seawater irrigation Energy production CO2-sequestration

Inhalt
General Aspects.- Concepts for Different Uses of Halophytes.- Global Water Crisis: The Potential of Cash Crop Halophytes to Reduce the Dilemma.- Present Efforts to Develop Sustainable Saline Production Systems.- Studies on Halophytes and Salinity Problems in Mediterranean Agriculture.- Saline Ecosystems in Venezuela.- Investigations Proposed in Venezuela for the Development of Systems for the Sustainable Utilisation of Halophytes, in the Context of International Development.- Diagnostics About the State of Mangroves in Venezuela: Case Studies from the National Park Morrocoy and Wildlife Refuge Cuare.- Contribution of Seagrass Ecosystems to the Venezuelan Coastline Vegetation.- Experimental Systems.- Comparative Biochemical Study of the Rhizosphere of Rhizophora mangle and its Associated Species Cyperus sp. in the Ciénaga de Soledad (Colombia).- Creation of Mangrove Productive Oases: Community Participation for the Sustainable Utilization of Halophytes.- Mangrove Restoration in a Tropical Semiarid Environment: A Case Study in Landscape Design.- Mangrove Establishment on Artificial Islands: A Case Study.- The Effect of Temperature on the Accumulation of Salts and Chromium in Seedlings of Avicennia germinans (Mangle Salado) and Rhizophora mangle (Mangle Rojo) Exposed to Tannery Wastewaters.- Salt Tolerance of Chenopodium quinoa Willd., Grains of the Andes: Influence of Salinity on Biomass Production, Yield, Composition of Reserves in the Seeds, Water and Solute Relations.- Biosaline Biomass for Energy, a Solution for Saline Wastelands.