#MangroveForests are healing after decades of human destruction

by Matt McGrath and Esme Stallard
June 4, 2026

"The world's coastal #mangrove forests, which protect millions of people from storms - and soak up vast amounts of planet-warming gases - are staging an unexpected comeback, scientists find.

"For decades these swampy trees had been declining rapidly as they were cleared for fish farms and housing.

"But a new study shows that since 2010 the world has been gaining more mangroves than it has been losing - driven by stronger #LegalProtections and increased #PublicAwareness of their importance, sparked by disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

"The researchers say the key factor though is the remarkable capacity of these forests to #regenerate naturally once humans stop chopping them down.

"Mangroves are one of the world's unsung #environmental heroes.

"Not only do they store up to five times more #CarbonDioxide than land-based forests, but their tangled roots can also slow down waves and protect coastal communities from #StormSurges and #tsunamis.

"These same roots provide a perfect nursery for many species of fish and other #MarineLife - protecting them from predators and providing ample food.

"These benefits, though, have come under serious threat over the past century as the rise of fish farming, agriculture and the expansion of coastal cities and towns have seen mangroves chopped down and rapidly removed.

"From the 1980s to 2010, over 12,000 sq km (4,600 sq miles) of mangroves were cleared or destroyed across #Asia, #Africa and the #Americas - an area the size of Jamaica.

"However, the new study shows a real reversal of that trend, particularly over the last decade. The total net losses - the forest lost and not replaced - since the 1980s have now been reduced to around 849 sq km (328 sq miles)."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4pk07npvvo

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/EX19Y

#SolarPunkSunday #FishNurseries #Mangroves #RestoreNature #CoastalRewilding #RestoringMangroves
#PreserveNature #OceansAreLife

Wij hadden een prachtige middag met de #raadvoordelevenden en de #zoonomischesamenkomst.

We zijn eruit. Alles is ingewikkeld maar in alles wat je kunt doen, kun je een bijdrage leveren.

De natuurcrisis is een relatiecrisis. De oplossing is relatiebeheer. We beginnen vast met de mensen die die relatie willen herstellen. De operazanger liet zien dat dat begint met je ademhaling. Als je jezelf ziet als een regeneratief wezen, verandert de wereld.

#zoop #regeneratie #restorenature

I was delighted to be outside Leinster House yesterday supporting Malcolm and his cross-party colleagues bill to fund wildlife rescuers. I was even happier to see it pass in the Seanad!

Wildlife rescues do valuable work protecting our wildlife from pollution and habitat loss, and most of it is done voluntarily and with a heavy reliance on donations. Their work deserves proper funding to make sure we don’t lose it.

#RestoreNature #Ireland #Dublin #DublinCentral #WildlifeRescue