It was International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem On Monday – celebrated annually on the 26th of July - and on Monday's episode of Earth Matters, we did a 101 on the characteristics of mangroves, and why they are so important to people and the planet. (Hint: They are carbon-hoarding, coastline-protecting forests which are sponges for greenhouse gases, among many other things.) On today's episode, we focus on the threats the mangrove ecosystem faces, and look at solutions to preserve what we still have - and why it's better to revitalize than to replant mangrove forests - with Dr. Ahmad Aldrie Amir, a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and he is currently heading the Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability Research Centre there as well. He is also the coordinator of the Malaysian Mangrove Research Alliance and Network (MyMangrove).

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