What We Should Know About Mangroves?

Mangrove ecosystems are some of the most productive and useful on the planet, but they are largely misunderstood. Mangrove trees — stubborn, shrub-like trees that grow exclusively in coastal waters — are the warriors of the plant kingdom. They thrive in seawater so salty that it would choke the life out of the mightiest terrestrial flora and endure the persistent battering of waves typical of the intertidal regions where they put down roots.
This hardscrabble existence has its benefits: As climate change threatens to increase the frequency and severity of storms, mangroves provide a stout defense.
Despite their uncommon resilience, mangrove forests are under threat and often overlooked for the vital resource they are. It might be time to start working toward some serious mangrove appreciation. By protecting mangroves, we can help protect the future of our planet.
1-Mangroves store more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth.
Although mangrove forests cover just 0.1 percent of our planet’s land surface, they store more carbon than any other type of forest. In fact, mangroves store 10 times more carbon than terrestrial forests, and twice as much as salt marshes. This carbon-storing superpower makes mangroves an important part of the solution to climate change.
2-Mangroves can help keep people safe.
Mangroves — and the thick, impenetrable tangle their aboveground and water roots create — are vital to coastal communities. They act as buffers to storm surges, forming a natural barrier between the ocean and the people who live on land, breaking waves and limiting the impact of heavy winds. But mangroves are being lost at a rate of 1-2% per year — faster than any other type of forest. So in today’s changing global climate with rising sea levels, it is more important than ever to protect threatened mangrove ecosystems.