Farmland and fisheries have replaced many mangrove forests, and people have moved closer to the sea without the "protective forest buffer" provided by mangroves, said forestry expert Jan Heino of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in a communique.

The mangrove area in Burma's Ayeyarwady Delta, severely hit by the cyclone, is now less than half the size it was in 1975 at just over 100,000 hectares (250,000 acres), the Rome-based agency said.

The cyclone caused waves more than three metres (10 feet) high, it noted, adding that dense coastal vegetation would have reduced their impact.

Cyclone Nargis left 66,000 dead or missing, while two million have been made destitute and in desperate need of aid.

"In the future, sea level rise and increased frequency and intensity of storms arising from climate change are expected to put coastal areas at greater risk of damage," the FAO warned.

"Discouraging further expansion of settlements close to the coast and maintaining healthy mangroves and other coastal forests will be important measures to protect coastal assets and populations," it said.

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