Mangrove forest near Everglades City, USA
Mangrove habitat is reported to cover over 430,000 acres of the Florida coastline. Mangroves provide many important ecological services. They support fisheries by serving as nurseries and habitat for economically viable fish and crustaceans. They protect coastal property by serving as buffers for large storms. Mangroves are also recognized as important carbon sinks, helping to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, through storage in canopy biomass and subsurface sediments.
Year: 2014
From album: Blue Carbon
Photographer: Riandi (Wikimedia Commons)