Save the Mangrove Campaign
Good news! Mexico’s president, Felipe Calderón, decided not to veto the amendments to the Ley General de Vida Silvestre which protect mangroves and on February 1st, 2007 they were published in the Diario Oficial.
Mangroves are tropical evergreen shrubs that thrive in the brackish water of coastal areas. Their ability to cope with changing salinity allows them to flourish in this unusual environment, where they have several positive effects on surrounding ecosystems. Mangroves provide habitat and shelter for juvenile fish that would otherwise be easy prey for predators in the open water. In fact, the majority of fish species caught commercially (approx. 75%), spend some time in mangroves, or are dependent on food chains based in mangroves. Mangroves are important nursery grounds for shrimp, lobsters, snappers, and many other species which eventually migrate to the open sea.
These coastal forests are an ecologically and economically important buffer against storm surges, protecting coastlines and coastal communities from erosion. Mangroves also protect downstream marine habitats by absorbing sediment and pollutants that would otherwise damage reefs and seagrasses. Mangroves are resistant by nature and have withstood natural disasters for millions of years. Yet today, these ecosystems are among the most threatened habitats in the world.
