On July 26th, we’re celebrating something that we’re passionate about, Mangrove Ecosystems. This day has been deemed the International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystem. The goal is to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems and highlight ways these essential forests can be protected and sustained. 

Tucked up against the shores of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest, the mangrove forests provide a habitat for the Bengal tiger and are their last hunting grounds. The mangroves serve as a refuge for migratory birds and provide a home for countless birds, mammals, and insects. The area is so important to the world as a whole that UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, declared July 26th World Mangrove Day back in 2015.

Why Mangrove Forests Are Endangered

It’s important to understand why mangrove forests are in danger. The demand for cheap shrimp around the globe is what prompted industrial shrimp farmers to begin clearing mangrove forests and converting them into shrimp farms. It’s estimated that this activity has led to the loss of more than 35% of the mangroves around the globe.

Unfortunately, shrimp farming isn’t the only threat to the mangroves. Across the world, they face human impact from dredging, filling, water pollution, and development.  

Why Mangrove Forests Matter

Mangrove forests are incredibly important. They help stabilize the coastline and prevent erosion. In every community where mangroves are found, they provide a natural infrastructure that helps the surrounding community. Large areas of land would not exist today if it weren’t for mangroves holding them in place and absorbing storm surge during extreme weather.

These trees straddle the impasse of land and water with dense roots that bind the soil, grab sediment and hold onto it, all while filtering pollutants from the water and improving the water quality as waters move from streams and rivers into the ocean. The amount of good they do for the living beings that surround them is immeasurable. 

But there’s more that the mighty mangrove is responsible for. They capture massive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions and other known greenhouse gasses and store them inside the soil. This removes them from our atmosphere, making the air safer for everyone. 

When these mangrove forests are destroyed, the toxic emissions they’ve trapped and are holding underwater are released back into the atmosphere. This is a huge problem and is contributing significantly to climate change.

Why Live Conscious Cares About Mangroves

Why does Live Conscious care so much about saving the mangroves? Because of their influence on the water and health in the areas that surround them. Water and forests are both key parts of our mission as a company.

Our mission is rooted in investing in the wellbeing of our bodies, minds, spirits, and communities. Our growing responsibility has inspired us to pledge to plant one million trees over the course of the next year, partnering with the Eden Reforestation Project. By restoring global forests and reducing poverty, we dedicate ourselves to the health of inner and outer nature, creating space for prosperity today and future generations alike.

How does Live Conscious work with the Eden Reforestation Project? We do it through your help. That’s right, whether you knew it or not, your purchases help plant trees. For every purchase made on weliveconscious.com, we plant one tree to reforest an at-risk area. The more purchases you make, the more trees we can help plant around the globe and do our part to restore global forests. These are healthy choices and actions that make a difference that goes beyond us, even beyond humankind.

Eden Reforestation Project

While mangroves are critical to a healthy planet, they’re not the only trees that matter. All trees are important and add beneficial elements to the surrounding area. Those benefits are far-reaching, and most people don’t understand the importance of having a lush and thriving ecosystem. 

When Eden Reforestation Project plants trees, animal habitats and local rainfall patterns are restored. This directly leads to water tables rising and water purity improving. Trees also help prevent flooding and soil erosion which increases soil and water quality. When those two things are improved, crops improve, which helps stabilize farming and helps to keep local economies sustainable. As economies grow, there is a decrease in poverty in the area and a direct improvement in the lives of the people who live in areas where trees are planted.

It’s incredible how planting trees can make such a huge difference in the lives of people in the region. And these are long-lasting improvements. While deforestation can initially bring in a huge influx of money, as people are paid to remove trees and paid for the trees, the long-term effects are devastating and more ruinous than most people imagine. Putting trees back where they belong creates a greater, lasting good for the planet. 

If you’d like to get involved beyond making a Live Conscious purchase, we highly recommend the Eden Reforestation Project for all that they do for every living creature on this planet. Why not celebrate World Mangrove Day by making a small donation to make a big difference.

Waking up to Wellness

Don’t forget, World Mangrove Day is coming in late July. It’s an event to mark on your calendars, even if you don’t live anywhere near a mangrove forest. These majestic trees are important to the entire planet’s ecosystem. Their loss is not just the loss of a tree but the starting phases of the devastation of a region. 

And while we think focusing on mangroves is important on July 26th, we think keeping them in mind the rest of the year is important too. Just like we believe that all trees, not just the mangrove, play a very critical role in the health of the planet and the living critters, creatures, flora, fauna, and humans that live here. We’re committed to supporting the planet just as rigorously and as consciously as we support our customers.