The recovery of degraded mangroves may favor the reestablishment of the diversity and abundance of benthic organisms, including those of commercial importance. Here, we assessed (i) the degree of population recovery of the exploited mangrove crab Ucides cordatus in nine areas of replanted mangroves, and (ii) the influence of dominant mangrove species on density and population parameters of this species. Our results indicate that the U. cordatus population has been reestablished successfully in all replanted areas. A total of 1620 inhabited burrows (1.8 ± 0.5 burrows m⁻²) were counted, and 423 crabs were captured (57.7% males and 42.3% females). Almost a third (33.2%) of the male crabs was of legally harvestable size (6.4 ± 0.3 cm carapace width), while the others (66.8%; 5.0 ± 0.8 cm) can be considered for future fishery. The densities of burrows were higher in areas dominated by R. mangle and L. racemosa. Both males and females were larger in areas dominated by L. racemosa, while they were heavier at the sites dominated by R. mangle and L. racemosa. The return of the local crab population exhibiting density and structure similar to those found in preserved habitats highlights the success of the rehabilitation of impacted mangroves.

恢复退化的红树林可能有利于恢复底栖生物的多样性和丰富性，包括具有商业重要性的底栖生物。在这里，我们评估了（i）9个重新种植的红树林地区被开发的红树林蟹Ucides cordatus的种群恢复程度，以及（ii）优势红树林物种对该物种的密度和种群参数的影响。我们的结果表明，在所有重新种植的地区，脐带藻种群已成功重建。总共有1620个居住的洞穴（1.8±0.5洞穴m ^-2）的数量，捕获了423只螃蟹（雄性57.7％，雌性42.3％）。将近三分之一（33.2％）的公蟹是可捕捞的大小（6.4±0.3厘米甲壳宽度），而其他（66.8％； 5.0±0.8厘米）的蟹可以考虑用于未来的捕捞。在以Mangle和R. racemosa为主的地区，洞穴的密度较高。雄性和雌性在消旋沙门氏菌占主导的地区都较大，而在R. mangle和消旋沙门氏菌占主导的地方则较重。本地螃蟹种群的密度和结构与在保留的栖息地中发现的相似，其返回表明了受影响的红树林恢复成功。