Unusual forests on stilts mitigate climate change, Mexican research shows Researchers have identified a new reason to protect mangrove forests: they’ve been quietly keeping carbon out of Earth’s atmosphere for the past 5,000 years. Mangroves thrive in conditions most plants cannot tolerate, like salty coastal waters. Some species have air-conducting, vertical roots that act like snorkels when tides are high, giving the appearance of trees floating on stilts. A UC Riverside and UC San Diego-led research team set out to understand how marine mangroves off the coast of La Paz, Mexico, absorb and release elements like nitrogen and carbon, processes called biogeochemical cycling. UCSD coastal ecologist Matthew Costa entering mangrove forest in Mexico. Photo credit: Ramiro Arcos Agu...
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Cuba’s newest protected area covers 281 square miles (728 square kilometers) of vibrant mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and climate-resilient corals - plus spawning sites for several economically important species of groupers and mutton, cubera, and gray snappers Cuba has just declared Este del Archipiélago de Los Colorados (“East of Los Colorados Archipelago”), a new marine protected area. This new MPA covers about half of one of the four major archipelagos surrounding the country, and hosts exceptional marine life including Antillean manatees, American crocodiles, and critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtles. Hawksbill sea turtle. Photo: Ocean Image Bank © Gregory Piper/WCS Establishment of this new protected area is a result of years of collective effort from communities, ...
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