Mangrove forests—found in 123 countries and territories, mostly between 30° N and 30° S latitude—form one of Earth’s most remarkable and vital ecosystems. These unique coastal woodlands thrive where land meets sea, creating a living buffer between terrestrial and marine environments. Their most striking feature is the maze of specialized roots that rise from brackish waters: a natural engineering feat that allows mangrove trees to flourish in saline, waterlogged soils where most plants cannot survive.
Ingenious Root Adaptations
Mangroves display a variety of root structures, each with a specific function. Stilt or prop roots, which arch above the water, anchor the trees in shifting, muddy substrates. Pneumatophores, also called “breathing roots,” protrude vertically from the soil like snorkels to draw in oxygen in oxygen-poor mud.
Some species also form buttress roots, providing extra stability in soft, tidal soils. Together, these adaptations prevent the trees from toppling and enable them to withstand fluctuating tides and strong coastal winds.
Coastal Protection and Biodiversity
These root systems act as natural breakwaters, slowing wave action and reducing the impact of storm surges. By stabilizing sediments, mangroves protect coastlines from erosion and help shield coastal communities from flooding and cyclones. Beneath the dense canopy and among the tangled roots, countless organisms find sanctuary. Juvenile fish, crabs, mollusks, and shrimp use the submerged roots as nursery grounds, while birds, reptiles, and small mammals thrive in the shaded canopy. The result is an ecosystem of extraordinary biodiversity that links terrestrial and marine food webs.
Climate Champions
Mangroves are among the planet’s most powerful natural carbon sinks. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, 2022), they store up to four times more carbon per hectare than most tropical rainforests, locking it away in their biomass and in the deep, waterlogged soils beneath them.
This “blue carbon” capacity makes mangroves critical allies in the global fight against climate change, both by sequestering atmospheric carbon and by buffering the impacts of rising seas.
Threats and Conservation
Despite their ecological importance, mangroves are disappearing at an alarming rate. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that around one million hectares of mangrove forest were lost between 2000 and 2020, primarily due to coastal development, aquaculture, and unsustainable logging.
While many countries—including Nigeria with its vast Niger Delta mangroves and Indonesia with the world’s largest mangrove expanse—are investing in replanting programs and stricter environmental policies, global losses still outpace restoration efforts. Preserving these ecosystems is not only an environmental necessity but also a safeguard for the millions of people who depend on mangroves for food, livelihoods, and coastal protection.
A Call to Protect Nature’s Guardians
Safeguarding mangrove forests is an investment in resilience, biodiversity, and climate stability. Their roots hold coastlines together, their canopies shelter countless species, and their soils quietly capture vast amounts of carbon. Protecting and restoring these coastal forests is therefore a crucial strategy for both environmental stewardship and human survival.
Sources
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The World’s Mangroves 2000–2020, 2020.
Nollywood actress Destiny Etiko has revealed that she lost ₦5 million after placing a bet during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, saying the experience has discouraged her from gambling again.
The actress disclosed this in a post shared on her Instagram handle on Monday, shortly after the conclusion of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
“First time betting and I lost . Will never try it again. My 5M gone . In fact am done watching football. Anxiety almost killed me,” she wrote.
Etiko, however, did not disclose the particular bet she placed or provide further details about how she lost the money.
Earlier, during the World Cup final, the actress shared a series of updates on her Instagram Story, indicating she was backing Argentina to defeat Spain.
In one post, she wrote, “Argentina all the way. Who can’t wait?”
As the match progressed, she appeared increasingly frustrated with Argentina’s performance, posting, “This ball tough o. Argentina is pissing me off.”
She also praised Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for keeping the defending champions in the game, writing, “The goal keeper is the savior oo.”
PUNCH Online had reported that Spain defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the second period of extra time to hand Spain their second World Cup title, 16 years after their maiden triumph in South Africa in 2010.
Argentina played the closing stages with 10 men after midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second bookable offence, while Spain dominated possession before eventually finding the breakthrough through Torres.
The self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, was arrested last Tuesday by the Intelligence Response Team led by Chief Superintendent of Police, Moses Lohor.
It was learnt that Adeyemi was arrested between 11am and 12pm inside a building in the Ijebu-Ijesa area of Osun State.
The suspect’s arrest followed a bench warrant issued against him by a Federal High Court in Abuja after he allegedly failed to appear for arraignment on eight counts.
Giving details of the operation that led to the arrest, a senior police officer in the Osun State Police Command, in an interview with Punch, said Adeyemi’s location was first uncovered in the Aregbe-Fakule area of Osogbo on July 9 after evading tracking by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The police officer said Lohor’s team took over the tracking after the DSS withdrew from the case.
He added that the operatives eventually located Adeyemi in Ilesa and subsequently arrested him on Tuesday morning.
The source said, “The Moses Lohor team were in Osun for surveillance ahead of the August 15 governorship election. They were mapping hotspots and collating other intelligence. As a matter of fact, the Lohor team didn’t report to the Osun State Police Command. They operated from the area commander’s office at Oke-Fia in Osogbo.
“Adeyemi was already on their watch list, but they didn’t act because the case was being handled by the DSS. Adeyemi’s last known location tracked by the DSS was Ibadan, but they couldn’t apprehend him because he regularly switched off his phone.
“A senior police officer from Abuja informed the Lohor team about the DSS withdrawal on Wednesday. Lohor’s team then decided to track Adeyemi’s location on Thursday, July 9. Incidentally, he was located around the Aregbe-Fakule area of Osogbo.
“Luckily for them, late on Monday night, Adeyemi’s location showed he was around Ilesa, and the Lohor team intensified efforts, which led to his arrest on Tuesday morning. The team only informed the Osun State Commissioner of Police when they moved in to make the arrest.”
Adeyemi is reportedly being detained at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, from where he is expected to be arraigned on July 27.
Popular Nollywood actress in the Yoruba movie industry, Biola Fowosere, has opened up about the challenges she faced after her ex-husband left their marriage.
It was reports that Biola, during an interview on African A List, said her ex-husband abandoned her and their children despite not doing anything wrong in the union.
The thespian who broke down in tears during the interview said her ex-husband is the only person she would like to ask why he abandoned his family.
Biola also spoke about battling severe depression after the separation, spending one year and six months in the hospital while struggling to recover emotionally.
According to the movie star, she almost lost her sanity, adding that it has been seven years since they lost contact.
She said, “The only person I’d really want to ask a question is my ex-husband. I’d really like to ask him what I did wrong because I did nothing before he left me and the kids. I want to ask what my children and I did to deserve what he did to us,” she said.
“I spent one year and six months in the hospital battling depression after he left. I almost ran mad. We are not in contact. Since he left, we haven’t seen him. He blocked us seven years ago.”
