Can Mangrove Forests Save Coastal Areas?

Mangrove forests in New Zealand could play a crucial role in protecting coastal areas from sea level rise caused by climate change.

"In New Zealand, mangroves have been traditionally viewed as undesirable as they take over areas where there were once sandy beaches," says Karin Bryan. "Now we know that they also could play a critical role in buffering our coastal land from the effects of sea level rise." Above, mangroves in Florida. dconvertini/CC BY-SA 2.0

Mangrove forests in New Zealand could play a crucial role in protecting coastal areas from sea level rise caused by climate change.

For a new study, researchers used New Zealand mangrove data to develop a modeling system to predict what will happen to different types of estuaries and river deltas when sea levels rise.

The models show that areas without mangroves are likely to widen from erosion and be affected as more water will encroach inwards. Mangrove regions prevent this effect—probably because soil that builds up around their mesh-like roots reduces energy from waves and tidal currents.

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James St. John/CC BY 2.0