Mangroves have many amazing properties and benefits for their surrounding ecosystems and coastal communities. These salt-tolerant trees and shrubs found in tropical and subtropical areas not only act as a natural defence against extreme weather, and help to maintain water quality, but they also support livelihoods for thousands of coastal communities through the sustainable harvest of timber, charcoal and firewood.
But, sadly, mangroves are among the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. More than a third of the world’s mangroves have already been destroyed and the rest are disappearing fast.
"Protection of mangroves and coral reefs are top priorities in conservation as they are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on earth," say Frontier. "One reason these areas are often overlooked is because we are unfamiliar with many of the animals and plants that live within them, and we do not understand the consequences of the damage we are causing them."
Determined to change the fate of mangrove forests worldwide, Frontier asked for our help in illustrating the important issue to their supporters. Our scribe, Matt, produced a beautiful and especially colourful infographic-style illustration, highlighting the key points made in Frontier’s accompanying article. It's a truly hardworking picture that does well to summarise and simplify a message that urgently needs to be heard.
