The trees protect them and they protect the trees
“Mangroves form a particularly precious ecosystem for coastal communities. This green belt reduces erosion of the coast by forming a protective barrier against severe weather events such as hurricanes. The roots of the mangroves, submerged in mud and brackish water, serve as nesting and survival shelters for young fish and crustaceans. Their branches are also home to various species of wildlife, including birds, monkeys and felines. Mangroves are also greenhouse gas sinks, absorbing even more carbon dioxide than tropical forests.”
The mangrove forests of Mexico are essential to the more than 18 million people who live in its coastal communities. To help preserve these important trees, communities of women around the country are coming together to save and protect the trees that save and protect them. Like, Herrera Silveira, one of 13 women who make up Chelemeras, a group of homemakers, mothers, wives and carers.
The women put on their rubber boots, hats, gloves and long-sleeved T-shirts, and sink into the mud for more than five hours to dig ditches with picks and shovels. For over a decade they’ve been working to reconnect the hydrological systems so the mangrove can start to grow again on its own.
The Chelemeras have been recognized at the national level for bringing new life to 100 hectares of deteriorated mangroves in their town, Chelem.
They show us that it’s the small groups working at the grassroots level—or in the swamps—who are saving the world.
https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/mexico-women-lead-way-saving-mangroves