The Magic of Mangroves
Dive in and learn the 7 things absolutely everyone should know about mangroves – the world's most important trees.
By The Ocean Agency
In partnership with 11th Hour Racing, UN Environment Programme and UNESCO. (Image by Lorenzo Mittiga)
There Are 7 Things Everyone Should Know About Mangroves...
1. Mangroves = Coral Reefs
Mangroves provide a safe habitat for the juvenile fish that coral reefs rely on. Mangroves also protect corals from storms and heat waves due to climate change.
Corals (and nearby seagrass beds) benefit from being situated near these coastal forests.
Mangroves help corals by reducing the ocean’s acidity and filtering runoff that flows to reefs, which shields these habitats from algal blooms and generally improves water quality.
2. Mangroves = Fish
Mangroves provide an essential nursery for three-quarters of the world’s tropical fish, as well as other marine life such as juvenile lobster and sharks and stationary feeders like sponges, anemones and oysters.
Intertwined mangrove roots offer protection from predators as well as small food sources for young aquatic creatures.
3. Mangroves = Climate Action
Mangroves are excellent at reducing carbon in the atmosphere — up to 10 times better than forests on land. Mangroves’ ability to store carbon makes them especially valuable for fighting climate change — even more so than terrestrial forests.
4. Mangroves = Survival
Mangroves help animals such as the endangered Bengal tiger survive. Over 30 plants and animals ranging from “Vulnerable” to “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species have been associated with mangrove habitats, whether for finding prey or protection.
All types of marine life depend on mangroves for survival.
5. Mangroves = Protection
Mangroves significantly reduce the impact of strong storm surges that are responsible for flooding during large storms. There are numerous stories of mangroves being the difference between life and death for people living in coastal communities.
Because of how they’re positioned on the shoreline, mangroves also protect communities from coastal erosion.
6. Mangroves = Wealth
Mangroves have been valued at over $3.3 million per square kilometer and over $2.7 trillion globally. That’s an amount that most communities and countries can’t afford to lose.
Fishing in Godavari mangrove forest by Srikanth Mannepuri / Ocean Image BankThe Ocean Agency
Many communities and governments, especially those of developing nations, benefit greatly from the value of their mangroves.
7. Mangroves = Mangroves
Mangroves are amazing at repopulating. Given the right conditions, mangroves can bounce back surprisingly quickly.
Mangrove seeds, or propagules, start to grow while still attached to the parent tree. After the propagules drop off the tree, they’re swept away by ocean currents, floating until they become waterlogged, sink to the seafloor, take root and start to grow a new mangrove tree.
Mangroves, Australia by Matt Curnock / Ocean Image BankThe Ocean Agency
Mangrove Action Project uses the Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration technique to help regrow mangrove forests. It involves local stakeholders and urges for action not only to facilitate natural regeneration, but also to reduce stressors leading to mangrove decline.
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