At the edge of many rivers in the Caribbean where their waters reach the ocean, often overlooked, are very important plant species called mangroves. There are four common species of mangroves found across the many Caribbean islands including button (Conocarpus erectus), white(Laguncularia racemosa), black (Avicennia germinans), and red mangroves (Rhizophera mangle). Each species is especially adapted to live exactly where they are supposed to live. For example, the red mangrove lives at the boundary between land and sea, constantly immersed in saltwater, exposed to changing tides, high winds, and storms. To deal with these harsh conditions, the red mangrove has specialized body parts that allow it to separate the salt from the water and expel it through tiny openings on the underside of their leaves. It sprouts aerial roots out and down that look like chicken legs to help strengthen itself to the ground. 

Mangrove ecosystems are a unique and vulnerable ecosystem that offers significant benefits for both humans and animals alike. They contribute to coastal protection from storms and erosion, serve as nurseries for many fish and crustaceans, filter water before reaching the ocean, and act as excellent carbon sinks. According to UNESCO, a 500 meter wide strip of mangroves can reduce wave height by as much as 99%, helping to avoid significant damage to coastal communities and coastlines. Experiments carried out by the Iberostar sustainability team in the Dominican Republic have shown mangroves to be excellent at removing excess nutrients from bodies of water. This is important because excess nutrients that reach the ocean and can cause algae to grow rapidly, threatening to outcompete and smother corals at nearby reefs. Mangroves are also excellent at fighting climate change by sequestering significant amounts of carbon in their leaves, trunk, roots and the muddy soil in which they are often found in; one hectare of healthy mangroves can sequester more than 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) every year.