Small mangrove reaching for the sky
Much of the coast is covered by mangroves, which not only offer shoreline protection from storms and hurricanes but also serve as nurseries and habitats for a wide range of commercially and biologically important species.
Like seagrasses, mangroves are flowering plants, but unlike seagrasses, most of the plant lives above water. The upper trunk and all of the branches and leaves of a mangrove tree live completely above the water line, while the lower trunk and the very large system of aboveground roots are often covered by seawater.
The dual services of coastal protection and habitat for commercially important species make mangrove forests one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world.
Photograph courtesy Oceana Belize
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