MAGICAL MANGROVES

Not only do mangrove forests offer a safe nursery to lemon shark pups and many other fish, they also provide a host of essential ecological functions.

1

MANGROVES HELP the fight against climate change by burying masses of carbon deep in the soil. One study found that mangroves are more effective at capturing carbon than forests on land.

2

FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, mangroves can be a sustainable source of timber, charcoal and food, such as oysters and honey.

3

THE DEEP, TANGLED roots and stout trunks of mangroves protect coastlines from erosion by waves and storms, the scale and frequency of which are likely to increase due to climate change.

4

MANGROVES IMPROVE coastal water quality, by absorbing excess nutrients and pollutants – including even the heavy metals that are byproducts of mining, such as iron, manganese and nickel.

5

MANGROVES PROVIDE habitat for everything from tigers to saltwater crocodiles and proboscis monkeys. Some of these species live virtually nowhere else, including birds such as the mangrove hummingbird and mangrove pitta.