Have you ever heard of mangroves? These are trees that can live in fresh or salt water, forming forests that you can easily recognize as rows of roots and thin, semi-submerged branches. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas -beaches, river mouths and lagoons-.
Mangroves also form ecosystems where land and sea meet. They are very fragile and have great importance for the planet, the animals, and also for us.
They occupy an area of more than 15 million hectares (half of Ecuador’s territory) in 123 countries, and represent 0.4% of the world’s forest area. In Latin America, most of the mangrove forests are found on the coast of the Amazon countries.
On July 26 is celebrated the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. Why should you care about this? Well, because mangroves provide essential benefits for life on Earth:
– They protect the soil from erosion.
– They capture and store carbon coming from the atmosphere and the oceans in the soil, thanks to its roots and branches. This is essential to mitigate climate change. They have twice the capacity of upland forests to store carbon (1,000 tons per hectare) and five times more than savanna forests.
– They harbor great marine biodiversity. They are home to fish, molluscs and crustaceans; areas where large numbers of birds nest, and refuge for reptiles and amphibians.
– Protect against storms, tsunamis and sea level rise, forming a kind of natural wall. Without mangroves, around 18 million more people would be impacted by floods every year.
– regulate the water quality coastal.
– They help the health of other ecosystems like coral reefs.
– They provide livelihoods for the more than 100 million people who live near them. They provide food and income.
– They toast medicinal herbs thanks to its branches and leaves. Salt is also extracted from its trees.
– Are essential for the life cycle of the fish and, therefore, also of the animals that feed on them.
But the mangroves are at risk. According to UNESCO, they are among the most threatened ecosystems. Between 1980 and 2005, 19% of the world’s mangroves disappeared. We have already lost more than 60% of them and, if we continue like this, in the next 100 years we could lose all the unprotected mangroves.
For this reason, the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem is a time for countries to renew their commitment to Sustainable Development and you too join in spreading this important information.
Together we all have to reverse this trend to protect the mangroves, which are so important for the health of the entire planet.
Sources:
UNESCO
world Bank