3 posts tagged with "Mangrove conservation"

On 26 July, the world marks the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. The celebration is often accompanied by photographs of tangled roots, restoration campaigns, and discussions about blue carbon. These are important. Yet they risk overlooking a more fundamental truth: mangroves are not simply coastal forests, they are the ecological infrastructure that connects terrestrial and marine systems.

Every year on 26 July, the world marks the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem (World Mangrove Day), a global reminder of the vital role mangroves play in sustaining healthy, resilient coastal systems. Far more than trees growing along tropical shorelines, mangroves are living land–ocean buffers that protect communities from storms and coastal erosion, store significant amounts of blue carbon, support fisheries and biodiversity, and sustain the livelihoods of millions of people.

A new study published in Ocean and Coastal Management by CoastMan project members Ibrahim Issifu, Menelisi Falayi, Rashid Sumaila and CoastMan PI Terry Sunderland examines how mangrove ecosystems function as critical land-ocean buffers in West and East Africa. By evaluating mangroves in Ghana and Tanzania, the research provides a comparative analysis of blue carbon storage, coastal protection, and fisheries livelihoods, pointing to key regional trade-offs that can help guide future conservation investments.