New research suggests mangroves remove 960,000 tons per year of nitrogen from global water systems, a figure that could rise to more than 5.5 million tons annually if conditions were optimal for the plants.
Years ago, construction of a road cut off the flow of water to a mangrove forest in Mexico, depriving these coast-hugging trees of what they need to thrive and proving deadly for wildlife. Today, signs of life are beginning to reappear.