Wetlands have been under threat since forever. Seriously, I remember cleaning them up in elementary school and I am. . . far away from that time in my life. How far? Not important, but it’s been awhile. Aside from the natural beauty and amazing habitats they provide, we can add one more reason to keep them going: they’re important to the fight against climate change.

Turns out that the mud in wetlands is a natural carbon store. Just the natural process of the mud buildup traps carbon and buries it. Which is awesome! As long as we can keep these marshes going, they’ll keep doing their thing as the process also sustains the wetlands themselves.

But these spaces are endangered by shipping and shrimp farming as well as other types of business and human interaction. Preserving these natural areas, although it may not seem like it, will help in the fight for climate change.