Gangly, densely rooted, and waxy-leaved, mangrove trees may look strange but don’t let their appearance fool you; these plants are nothing short of magical.

There are more than 50 “true” mangrove species of trees and shrubs known to grow in the intertidal zone of shorelines in tropical and subtropical climates. Their unique look is thanks to a variety of adaptations in their roots and leaves that make them able to survive conditions including the high salinity of seawater, low-oxygen mud, and constantly changing tides.

“Mangroves are beneficial in so many ways,” Dr. Amna Almansoori, a marine scientist at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) told CNN. “I really love mangroves!”Almansoori isn’t alone in her affinity for these plants.

Mangroves support wildlife that lives in and around them — including at least 340 threatened species globally — acting as a habitat for everything from manatees to monkeys. They even act as a source of food as their leaves shed into the sediment around them, breaking down to form nutrient-rich organic matter to feed a variety of wildlife.

The tidal trees protect coastal communities from the impacts of storms and floods, by acting as buffers that slow the swell of waves and reducing the height of a storm surge before water reaches land. Their roots stabilize the sediment in the soil around them, building ground and counteracting coastal erosion.

Mangroves are also one of the most effective carbon sinks, able to absorb and store more than four times as much carbon dioxide as the average terrestrial forest. According to the Mangrove Alliance, the trees are responsible for storing 21 billion tons of carbon dioxide globally, something they can do for thousands of years.

“From a climate perspective,” Almansoori said. “I would say that mangroves are heroes.”Mangroves first became a priority in Abu Dhabi in the late 1960sshortly before the era of its oil boom, which brought a period of rapid urbanization for the emirate. Coastal development resulted in a loss of mangrove cover across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan initiated parallel restoration and plantation programs, making Abu Dhabi a pioneer of mangrove conservation.

The United Nations Environment Program estimated a 35% decline in global mangroves from 1980 to 2000, before the rate of loss fell by 44% between 2000 and 2020, according to the Mangrove Alliance. In contrast, Abu Dhabi saw its mangrove cover increase by 92% between 1987 and 2022. These days, “You see a thriving forest. From 3,000 hectares, now we have 17,600 hectares,” Almansoori said.

The Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative (ADMI) describes its work as “science-based restoration,” using data, scientific mapping and monitoring to inform its conservation. It is working toward the UAE’s goal of planting 100 million mangrove trees by 2030; in 2023 alone, the ADMI distributed over 6 million mangrove seeds across Abu Dhabi using specially adapted drones.

While planting by hand involves sending large groups of people to sensitive natural areas and risking disruption to the ecosystem, the initiative’s custom-built drones reduce this impact. The drones can travel long distances and access more remote areas that ADMI research deems is most opportune for planting. Each drone can carry approximately 6,000 seeds, scattering them into tidal mud to germinate and bring new mangroves to life.

While they might act as a force against climate change, mangroves too are at risk from the effects of a warming world. As protection efforts have strengthened, mangrove numbers have seen small gains over the past decade, according to Global Mangrove Watch. But some countries have continued to see a net decline since the start of the decade including Myanmar, Indonesia and Nigeria. For these nations, the loss of mangroves threatens the supply of food, shelter, and the lives of those living near the shore.

In Abu Dhabi, mangroves are still classified as endangered despite the overall increase in coverage, due to the threats posed by climate change — one of the most significant being rising sea levels.

“A lot of water can suffocate them, but less water won’t help them grow,” Almansoori explained. If the seas rise faster than the height of the sediment mangroves grow on, the plants may be submerged.

For the ADMI, protecting and restoring existing mangroves is a priority. A recently launched mangrove hydrological restoration project hopes to study the optimal water flow for mangrove health and hydrological conditions needed for long-term recovery of degraded mangroves.

To Almansoori, it’s vital that increasing mangrove coverage is done with their long-term health and conservation in mind.

“We do want areas to increase in terms of coverage, but we would like to see them increase in a healthy manner,” she said. “So that we can see them thrive [not just] for biodiversity, but also for mankind and for climate change.”