Restoring Mexico’s mangroves can shield shores, store carbon

By MARÍA VERZA, CHRISTINA LARSON and VICTORIA MILKO
Associated Press

PROGRESO, Mexico (AP) — On Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, efforts are underway to protect and restore mangrove forests, even as more are lost elsewhere. From 1980 to 2005, 20% to 35% of the world’s mangrove forests disappeared. In the next decade, the rate of loss declined as governments and environmental groups worldwide spotlighted the problem, but destruction continued. In Mexico, as in much of the world, the largest threat to mangroves is development. Tree-planters in Yucatan whose work is supported by academics and donations to environmental groups say they feel proud to be part of global efforts against climate change.