IS OUR BEST DEFENSE

To have their toes sink into white sand, hear the hush of waves on the shore, and watch the sun melt into the ocean. It’s not hard to understand why they come, or why it’s been so adoringly named the Paradise Coast.

But even paradise has its paradoxes.

Hidden beneath those lazy waves and warm breezes is an energy with the potenti al to release unfathomable destruction. We’ve seen and felt its power, raging against the lifestyles we’ve built. The power to move oceans. To turn day into night and land into water. To live here is to accept that danger. To respect it, and to prepare for it. And in preparing for that looming threat, we at the Conservancy, believe it’s best to look towards and protect those who have been surviving it for millennia...mangroves.

Though we’ve branched out to cover all environmental issues in our nearly 60-year history, the protecti on of mangroves has always been a centerpiece of this organizati on. We’ve spent decades in the mud studying and monitoring their health, educated the public on their importance, and even gone to court to speak on their behalf. The very founding moment of our once fl edgling non-profi t came from an effort to halt the destructi on of Rookery Bay and we will conti nue to stand strong with these incredible forests long into the future.

Home to spiders and fi ddler crabs, tangled roots and woven branches, these trees are the epitome of resiliency, with the capacity to withstand hurricanes engrained in their very fi bers. Aside from being instrumental to the health and economic vitality of this enti re region, they stand as guardians to the land. This fi rst line of defense is capable of breaking down wave heights by up to 66% over 100 meters and reducing storm surges by nearly two feet over a kilometer. Two feet may not sound like much, but it makes a huge difference in a place where the average elevati on barely breaks double digits.

More storms will come, that we can be sure of. The questi on is, “how will we prepare for them?” These forests are a priceless piece to the beauti ful puzzle we call home and to protect them, is to protect ourselves. To choose not to is to endanger all of us, from dolphins and dancing palms to those who fish and those in the tourism industry.