Mangrove forests are a common sight in some tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world like Indonesia, Florida in the US, parts of Brazil and Australia. They can also be found on African coasts, including South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces.
These tidal forests of trees and shrubs are often talked about in the context of climate change. Along with other coastal wetlands like salt marshes and seagrasses, they are able to store more carbon than terrestrial ecosystems. Waterlogged soils preserve the organic carbon and prevent decomposition – and if they’re left undisturbed, this “blue carbon” is locked up over thousands of years. This means they can play a key role in the oceans’s carbon cycle.
