Where Have All the Mangroves Gone?

Positives

• Students will learn about the many benefits that mangroves provide, including their ability to sequester more carbon than most other trees and their ability to protect communities from flooding and storms. 
• The podcast focuses on case studies of mangrove forest loss in many locations around the world, including Madagascar, Indonesia, and Nigeria. 

Additional Prerequisites

• Teachers may want to show students some pictures of mangroves before listening to this podcast. 
• The podcast does not include a transcript, so teachers may want to pause the podcast and check for student understanding.

Differentiation

• Cross-curricular connections could be made with history and social studies classes when discussing international climate agreements and government climate policies.
• Economics classes could use this podcast to discuss the challenges that developing countries face when making economic decisions that could destroy natural resources and worsen climate change.
• Resources related to this topic include this lesson plan about mangrove trees, this resource on the importance of mangrove trees, and this video about mangrove research in the United States.