Plants

Today, July 26th, is the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. This commemorative day was initiated by UNESCO in 2015 to raise awareness of the importance of the mangrove ecosystem as a “unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem, as well as to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and use.

According to Conservation International, although mangrove forests cover only 0.1 percent of the Earth's surface, they store up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests.

More and more alternatives to plastics are being proposed these days, as the world wakes up to the immense “longevity” of single-use plastics.

One of these alternatives—seaweed—is the focus of Notpla, a London-based startup that has developed packaging that is designed to be composted, dissolved or consumed after use.

The decision to use seaweed was made after considering that it was abundant, grew fast, sequestered carbon from the air and did not require pesticides.

Kelp is an ecologically and economically important foundation species in California, where forests line nutrient-rich, rocky bottom coasts. It also might alleviate acidification caused by too much atmospheric carbon being absorbed by the seas.

A new interdisciplinary analysis of giant kelp in Monterey Bay off the coast of California shows that near the ocean’s surface, the water was less acidic, suggesting the kelp canopy does reduce acidity.

Coral reefs make up some of the most biologically diverse habitats on Earth and face many threats such as coastal pollution, dredging and disease. However, some of their most widespread threats involve warming ocean temperatures, solar radiation and increased ocean acidification. It is from these threats that corals are finding refuge under the red mangroves.