The Canopy Project
Understanding Your Roots With Mangrove Day
July 26, 2025
Why Mangroves Matter
July 26 is International Day for the Conservation of the mangrove ecosystem – often known as “Mangrove Day.” The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) founded this day in 2015 to highlight the crucial importance of the mangrove ecosystem and all they cultivate, and highlight ways to protect our precious mangrove habitats.
Mangrove forests are found in the world’s coastal tropical and subtropical regions and famously their meandering, overlapping, and magical roots are known to allow many land and marine species to survive. Here’s why mangroves are so special.
Soil Is Thicker Than Blood
Mangroves do more than just grow — they serve as vital protectors of the environment. Their dense roots act as natural barriers, holding soil in place and creating an interconnected ecological system between our oceans and the land.
They develop intricate networks of prop roots and pneumatophores, specialized aerial roots that grow upward from underground to aid in gas exchange. Together, these root structures help slow coastal erosion caused by ocean waves, stabilizing shorelines and preserving fragile ecosystems. Mangrove roots form a natural barrier against potential wave destruction.
This is especially important in coastal areas at risk from tides, which continually move mud and nutrients between the land and sea. Without the stabilizing network of mangrove roots, these tidal actions could strip away rich soils and vital nutrients, leaving the land thinner, weaker, and less able to support healthy forests.
Mangrove Tree Species
There are about 80 species of mangrove tree. From Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) recognizable by its distinctive stilt-like roots that provide stability and support in muddy, tidal zones. Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans), White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), typically found in slightly higher, less waterlogged areas compared to red and black mangroves.
Mangrove trees are uniquely adapted to survive in brackish and saltwater environments, with their root systems capable of surviving periods of submersion in seawater. While their specialized roots can handle these saline conditions, as well as frequent flooding, their canopies grow above the waterline. It is as if they grow half in and half out of the salty water line.
Bio-diversity Hotspots
Not surprisingly this ‘half in and half out’ ability means mangrove forests are rich in biodiversity, allowing for thousands of species to thrive by offering food, shelter, and nesting grounds for both terrestrial and aquatic animals.
Birds nest in their high branches, monkeys forage in the trees and among the roots, and countless fish and crustaceans use the submerged roots for protection as they mature.
For example mangrove forests, such as the Sundarbans, in India, provide critical habitat for the endangered Bengal tiger, one of the few tiger populations that is adapted to thrive in this unique environment. These special forests also offer shelter to endangered species like manatees, by serving as vital nursery grounds. Acting as safe spaces in coastal ecosystems, mangroves protect young manatees and juvenile sharks by providing a refuge for them while they are small and still growing, before they are large enough to venture into deeper waters. The mangroves’ dense root systems, submerged in the ocean, make it impossible for larger predators to hunt amongst them.
This intricate web of life makes mangrove forests essential sanctuaries for wildlife of all kinds. Mangroves stand out as one of nature’s richest habitats, all tied together by distinctive and resilient mangrove tree species.
Carbon Sinks & Climate Shields
In addition to providing a home for thousands of species—from Bengal tigers and monkeys to sharks, manatees, birds, and insects—mangrove forests are powerful carbon sinks that play a crucial role in combating climate change.
Most significantly, mangrove forests can sequester carbon at up to four times the rate of terrestrial forests, storing vast amounts of dead organic matter and carbon within their soils—a process made possible by the slow-decaying, oxygen-poor mud they are able to grow in.
This often pitch-black soil that mangroves grow in along tropical coastlines are regularly flooded by the tides, meaning they contain very little oxygen—whihc would be a serious challenge for most plants. But mangroves have evolved specialized roots, pneumatophores (which essentially act like snorkels sticking up out of the mud), to help them access the oxygen they need from the air. This thick, organic-rich mud isn’t just inhospitable—it also plays a key role in storing carbon and supporting the vast biodiversity found in mangrove ecosystems.
This action means mangroves remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit, helping slow global warming while supporting rich and varied wildlife. By protecting and restoring mangrove forests, we safeguard not just countless species but also a vital tool for stabilizing our climate.
Trees are Cultural Ties
Furthermore, mangrove forests are vital to local communities. Mangroves provide habitat for many species, many of which are food for local communities. This can be as simple as making fishing and prawn harvesting possible for local people and growing nuts and fruits in the mangrove trees.
So it is not surprising that mangroves have a hugely important cultural symbolism for local indigenous communities, who often regard the mangroves as sacred places that feature in their legends and stories, carried down through generations. For example, among the Moken people of Southeast Asia mangroves symbolize protection and emphasize the importance of living in harmony with nature.
The Canopy Project and The Future of Mangroves
Mangroves grow along the shores of over 120 countries, from the Sundarbans of South Asia to the Everglades of Florida. Their tangled roots anchor coastlines, filter polluted waters, shelter endangered species, and store carbon up to four times more efficiently than rainforests. They are the unseen defenders against climate change, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss.
But mangroves are being cleared for coastal development, poisoned by pollution, and drained for short-term gain. That’s where The Canopy Project comes in and you can help. Through The Canopy Project, EARTHDAY.ORGis planting trees, restoring ecosystems, and supporting local communities in the regions most affected by deforestation, including coastal areas where mangroves can be the first line of defense.
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