Help restore habitats for biodiversity by planting trees where they're needed the most! Plant a Tree!
Help restore habitats for biodiversity by planting trees where they're needed the most! Plant a Tree!
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We make it simple for anyone to plant trees, and together we can make an incredible impact. Learn more
Stay up to date on major announcements, exciting collaborations, and more. Visit our Newsroom
We make it simple for anyone to plant trees, and together we can make an incredible impact. Learn more
Become a business partner to improve your company’s sustainability initiatives and make an impact. Learn more
See how your support and leadership can help us fund reforestation efforts across the globe. Learn more
Become a business partner to improve your company’s sustainability initiatives and make an impact. Learn more
See how your support and leadership can help us fund reforestation efforts across the globe. Learn more
Read about stories from the field, interesting facts about trees and get your healthy dose of nature. Visit our blog
Comprised of lesson plans, learning modules, resources, and activities, our T.R.E.E.S. School Program is the perfect addition to your curriculum. Learn more
Read about stories from the field, interesting facts about trees and get your healthy dose of nature. Visit our blog
Comprised of lesson plans, learning modules, resources, and activities, our T.R.E.E.S. School Program is the perfect addition to your curriculum. Learn more
Our fan-favorite Reforestation T-Shirt. Wear it with pride to show your support of reforesting our planet, one tree at a time. Shop now
Give the gift that lasts a lifetime! Choose an image, write your personalized message and select a delivery date to gift a tree. Gift a tree
Our fan-favorite Reforestation T-Shirt. Wear it with pride to show your support of reforesting our planet, one tree at a time. Shop now
Give the gift that lasts a lifetime! Choose an image, write your personalized message and select a delivery date to gift a tree. Gift a tree
If you’ve ever been on vacation by the beach somewhere tropical, you’ve probably encountered mangrove trees and noticed their incredible ability to grow, seemingly, with their roots underwater. In fact, the mangrove is a tree family unlike any other — and they're crucial for helping the environment and protecting the world’s coastlines.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees (halophytes) and can be found in what’s known as the intertidal zone - the area where the coastlines meet land in tropical and subtropical locations.
What’s remarkable about them is that despite being trees, they're able to thrive in salty water, among the shifting sands of the world’s oceans, and rooted in the low-oxygen environment of mud. Their twisted roots and branches jut up from the sand and water like long, slender stilts and help to secure them against the battering of the sea and changing tide — and their thick, waxy leaves filter and excrete the salt from the water. Aside from their incredible adaptation to an environment that's considered unfit for trees of any kind, mangrove forests are critical for protecting coastlines, endangered and threatened species, people’s livelihoods, and even helping combat climate change!
As mentioned, most trees can't live in saltwater, but mangroves have adapted to live in high-salinity environments along coasts around the world. In addition to filtering salt out of sea water, their unique root systems help them stay upright in soft, waterlogged soils and give them access to oxygen and nutrients.
Thanks to their intricate root systems, they provide nesting, nursery and feeding grounds for many aquatic organisms, including juvenile fish of thousands of species, oysters and mussels, mudskippers, lemon sharks, and manatees. Above the ocean surface, mangroves also provide critical habitat for cranes, eagles, monkeys, and even tigers!
Two undeniable symptoms of climate change are rising sea levels and increasingly extreme storm surges — and mangroves are a natural solution to protect against the devastation caused by both. A wave passing within 100 meters of a mangrove forest can lose around 2/3 of its energy. Experts estimate that mangrove ecosystems prevent more than $65 billion in property damages, and reduce flood risks for around 15 million people every year.
That's right: they play a critical role in protecting the planet from climate change. How? Mangrove trees store carbon in their leaves, and when those leaves fall off and sink into the mud and silt, they become what is known as blue carbon (carbon that is stored underwater.)
In addition to their roots, some mangrove species also have special leaves that help them thrive in salty or brackish water. Still other mangrove species store salt in older leaves or bark. When the leaves drop and the bark sheds, the stored salt is shedded with them.
Mangrove forests are more ubiquitous than you might think. Over 100 tropical and subtropical countries are lucky enough to have mangroves along their coastlines. One Tree Planted actively supports mangrove restoration projects throughout Asia and Latin America, including Costa Rica, The Philippines, India, Haiti and Guatemala.
With more than 2 million hectares of mangrove forest throughout the country’s coastlines (an area larger than the country of Belize), Indonesia has an incredible wealth of mangrove forests.
This is mostly due to human practices like overfishing, land use changes, coastal development, and agriculture. At this rate, mangrove forests could disappear from Earth entirely by the year 2100.
If you like fish on your dinner plate then you can probably thank the mangroves. Whether they are spawning grounds for ocean bound fish, habitat for shrimp, or even an important source of algae, fruit, and salt, mangroves are a vital part of the global food supply.
Mangrove forests are one of the most important coastal ecosystems for storing carbon, providing critical habitat, and protecting coastal communities. Sadly, they're disappearing from coasts around the world at a distressing rate.
For mangrove trees, sea level rise, farming, development, and aquaculture such as shrimp farming all pose major threats. Sea level rise in particular is limiting mangrove habitat and its climate change resilience: while they can migrate further inland, development of coastal areas limits where they can grow.
The benefits of mangroves are immense, and as our planet rapidly changes, planting mangroves is becoming more important than ever. One Tree Planted is actively supporting mangrove restoration projects around the world. Want to help protect these magnificent trees? Plant a mangrove today!
Meaghan works to share our story far and wide, manages our blog calendar, coordinates with the team on projects + campaigns, and ensures our brand voice is reflected across channels. With a background in communications and an education in environmental conservation, she is passionate about leveraging her creativity to help the environment!
26/09/2023 by Meaghan Weeden
21/09/2023 by Gabrielle Clawson
19/09/2023 by Meaghan Weeden
31/08/2023 by Meaghan Weeden
18/07/2023 by Meaghan Weeden
11/07/2023 by Meaghan Weeden