Just launched on 27 July 2020, the Global Mangrove Watch is a monitoring and early warning tool for mangrove ecosystems health, protection, and degradation. Mangrove trees are equipped with impressive filtration systems that allow them to filter out or exclude salt altogether, despite their twice-daily inundation by saltwater due to changing tides. Perhaps their most notable feature, mangroves have complex root systems that extend above and below the water line. These roots allow mangroves to stabilize themselves and prevent erosion to the coastline, and also provide habitat, nurseries, and feeding grounds for a vast array of fish and other organisms.

Explore the Global Mangrove Hub here

A blue water mangrove provides critical habitat for juvenile reef fish in Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean. Photo credit: © Ethan Daniels