Recent studies have increasingly focused public attention on endangered mangroves given their ability to absorb and store carbon up to four times the rate of other forests. According to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a recent study found over 6.4 billion metric tons of carbon in mangrove soil, equal to the carbon being released annually by more than 6,000 coal power plants.

Mangroves capture carbon at four to five times the rate of other forests because their fallen leaves, twigs and other parts decompose at a slow rate. The aquatic location of mangroves (between high and low tide) does not allow oxygen, which is needed for decomposition, unlike terrestrial forests. The organic matter is therefore compacted and simply accumulates in the soil.