Are we ready to give up?
Considering the greed of humans, it does not come as a surprise that human actions have been a major factor in the disappearance of mangrove forests. The choice is ours, if we do not take immediate action to stop the depletion of mangroves, we would lose out on all the benefits that come along for various communities and the health of the planet. Mangroves are a blessing for coastal communities as it provides them with resources and livelihood, and also save them from floods, rising sea levels, tsunamis and erosion. Interestingly, a 500-meter mangrove patch reduces wave heights by 50 to 99 per cent notes the UNESCO website. Their ability to act as natural dams has saved 15 million people around the globe from the risk of floods according to The State of the World’s Mangrove report 2021. In economic terms, they save humans from property damages caused due to floods worth 65 billion USD annually
Similarly, our fight to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 seems improbable without mangroves as they are significant natural carbon sequesters. They cover only 0.4 per cent of the total global forest estate, yet they possess the quality of sequestering carbon at up to four times the rate of terrestrial forests. Just one hectare of mangroves stores up to 3754 tons of carbon, which is equivalent to removing more than 2600 cars from the road for one year according to the UNESCO website.