Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in dense groves along the edge of the ocean, often with tangled roots and branches that weave in the water.
During storms, these roots and branches can help calm rough waves and reduce the risk of flooding damage inland areas.
So as climate change creates more extreme weather, mangroves can help protect coastal communities from increasingly intense storms.
Mangroves can also help reduce global warming.
That's because mangroves grow quickly. As they grow, they absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store the carbon in their roots, leaves and branches.
Over time, carbon-rich plant matter accumulates in the soil surrounding mangroves. In such a moist, oxygen-deprived environment, it breaks down extremely slowly, so the carbon can be locked away for centuries.
But over the past few decades, mangroves have been decimated by threats such as coastal development and seafood farming, destroying thousands of square miles around the world.
Therefore, protecting and restoring mangroves is an important climate solution.
Report source: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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