Satellite data suggest Sundarbans mangroves are losing resilience

Mangrove forests protect tropical coasts from storms, store large amounts of carbon and provide vital habitats for plants and animals, such as serving as nurseries for fish and crabs. They also supply local communities with wood and medicinal plant substances. But to what extent are these ecosystems resilient in the face of growing environmental pressures? An international research team including the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) has studied the role biodiversity plays in the resilience of mangrove forests. The study, co-authored by ZMT mangrove ecologist Martin Zimmer, focuses on the Sundarbans, one of the largest contiguous mangrove ecosystems in the world.