((PKG))  FLORIDA  MANGROVES  
((Banner:  Protecting the land))
((Reporter/Camera:   Steve Baragona))
((Adapted by:  Philip Alexiou))
((Map:  Florida Keys, Florida))
((ROB BRUMBAUGH, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY))
When (Hurricane) Irma came across the Keys, the eye came across the keys about 20 miles (32 km) east of here.  So, just up the Keys.  This mooring field here was devastation. There were boats up in the mangroves throughout here. Many of the boats were on their sides or upside down or on the docks.  Even just a little bit of mangrove can make a big difference. It made all the difference in the world for our marina. I'm convinced of it.  We know that mangroves provide a physical buffer. They literally wring the energy out of waves when the waves pass through them. They literally break the wake, or the wind, and they can, or if you have enough of them, they can actually provide, sort of a sponge effect. They literally soak up some of the water before it gets too much further through them.
((AABAD MELWANI, RICKENBACKER MARINA))
You know, this is not a seed. A lot of people think this is a seed. This is actually a fully germinated, this is a seedling and this is the actual bud. This is called the terminal bud. And so this one is actually a pretty good example of a, you know, viable seedling.  It’s natural protection against storm surge. It's natural protection against erosion.  It keeps all the sediment and the shoreline intact and then once they're fully mature, they also provide, you know, this really vibrant ecosystem for juvenile fish, crustaceans, birds, all sorts of native species.
((ROB BRUMBAUGH, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY))
That's also beaches and dunes, but it's also the coral reefs that sit further offshore. So, it's a multilayered, sort of, system of natural infrastructure that can actually protect us.