July 26th is the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.
One of the most carbon-rich habitats on the planet, mangrove ecosystems play an instrumental role in managing climate change, harboring biodiversity, and providing resiliency to our coastlines and tidal rivers. If we’re talking chartreuse-based palettes, salty, intertidal habitats, and gnarly trees, mangroves are one incredibly dynamic ecosystem that we think is worth celebrating.
July 26th is the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. Most often distributed along the coastlines and tidal rivers of tropical and subtropical climates, mangrove ecosystems represent the diverse plethora of salt-loving plants, birds, fish, and insects that make up the biome, including their eponymous trees of gnarled-roots infamy.
Given their function as a wetland, these liminal worlds take on a lot of responsibility. They provide for the livelihoods of people, nesting habitat for migrating birds, and serve as a resilient buffer to the increasing severity of weather events like hurricanes and sudden flooding. Many consider mangrove forests a key <span class="term" data-def="‘Natural climate solutions are actions to protect, better manage and restore nature to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon’ The Nature Conservancy, 2017">natural climate solution</span>, too, due to their soils being one of the most highly efficient <span class="term" data-def="A natural environment (body of water, specific ecosystem) viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.">carbon sinks</span> around. In short, conservation of existing intact mangroves, alongside restoration and better management of damaged ecosystems, is crucial for mitigating and decelerating the impact of climate change.
Fortunately, there are many ongoing efforts to both conserve and restore mangrove ecosystems. Depending on an organization’s coastal management strategy, the frequency of site visits can be lengthy, costly, and sometimes impossible given the rigor and density of these habitats. While in-situ observations are still necessary, especially for data collection like soil sampling, more teams are implementing earth observation (EO) data as a necessary part of their monitoring and reporting frameworks.
Organizations currently use Lens to complement their in-person visits with insight that satellite imagery and datasets can provide, such as showcasing trends over many years or analyzing for sudden vegetation change. The example below showcases just a portion of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest in Bangladesh, or the largest mangrove in the world, with findings our teammate Katie discovered in the imagery through Lens.
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As seen above, key features like Notes and Compare Mode grant stewardship, restoration, and management teams greater agency and information on the areas they're looking to conserve or restore. If your organization is working to conserve or restore mangrove ecosystems, please reach out to our team to learn how Lens might be able to support your work. Book a demo with our staff, or send us an email at lens@upstream.tech. For pricing, head to our plans page. See ya in Lens, and happy day for the mangroves!
