Along with coral reefs, fringing mangrove forests dramatically reduce wave energy, flooding, and strong winds associated with hurricanes. These storms can strip canopies, snap and uproot trees, and submerge smaller ones via high storm surge. While these initial impacts are clearly destructive, there is evidence that hurricanes also provide benefits to mangroves forests.
If you’re reading this, then there’s a good chance you care about the environment, even if it’s just a little bit. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have clicked on this page. So, you’re probably already aware that human activities are slowly, but surely, destroying our planet by emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and negatively changing the climate. But, did you also know that our coastal ecosystems provide a natural way of minimizing the harsh effect of these greenhouse gases? Better yet, did you know that mangroves play one of the biggest roles?