Mangroves are incredible ecosystems, Highly essential in many parts of the planet. In many parts of the planet, mangrove roots stabilize the shoreline of rivers and seas halting large losses of land.
In this role, these trees also sift out much rubbish.
Indeed, around the world it is thought that there would be a great deal more plastic in the worlds oceans if it wasn’t for the fact that it is removed by mangroves. Bare in mind too, that mangroves are vital habitats for all sorts of creatures – the Sundarbans, a vast area of mangroves between India and Bangladesh, host a wide variety of wildlife including hundreds of wild tigers.
Unfortunately, in Java, the amount of plastic that the mangroves are catching is so high (because the water is carrying so much) that it is suffocating the trees.
Clearly, if we are to rely on mangroves for the many services they offer humans we need to change our behaviour. We need to stop single use plastic around the world – and importantly this should happen as soon as possible. Now it is true that as oil increases in price and starts to run out, we are going to have to change our behaviour on plastics, but what is clear is that the worlds ecosystems cannot wait for this.
If we do not want to choke rivers and forests with plastics, and save sea ecosystems we need to be cutting out plastics now.
