Mangrove roots encrusted by marine life and harbor for sea creatures
Many see mangrove as a swamp, a wasteland, a mosquito-infested, garbage dumping stinking morass. Yet, it remains one of the most important habitats to our health as a nation in Belize. All we see is the tangled roots and trunks emerging from a slop of decomposing filth. But just like humans who are often judged by looks when there is so much more inside, mangroves are a wealth of biodiversity, nurseries for many commercial species, and hold that “slop” together during tropical storms which would otherwise eat our shorelines and turn our coastal towns into swamp. We need to love and respect and nourish our mangroves, not vilify, spoil and destroy them.
Top photograph by Tony Rath
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