In Search for the Lost Mangroves [Oil on Canvas 16×20 Inch] © Omay Lee 2019

These black bush-waters, heavy with crusted boughs
Like plumes above dead captains, wake the mind
Uncounted kissing, unremembered vows
Nights long forgotten, moons too dark to find..
~ from “Mangrove” by Kenneth Slessor 1944

Mangrove forests are crucial for ecosystems and are the planet’s best carbon absorbers. They grown in costal saline or brackish water, and occur world-wide in tropical regions. The destruction of these forests (around 35% of the mangroves have gone) is a severe threat to the ecosystem, as well as for the wellbeing of people and animals.