Mangroves are an especially crucial part of the marine ecosystem in tropical and subtropical estuaries, serving as nurseries for baby sea animals.
The largest mangroves forests can be found in Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, Nigeria, and Mexico. They also call the tidal coasts of South Florida home. While they’re one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, mangrove forests also are one of the most threatened.
Unless we take drastic and immediate action to protect and restore mangroves, it’s estimated that we’ll lose these critical ecosystems by 2100.
