The wetland wonder on the edge of the desert

Scientists have long pointed to the mangroves' biodiversity benefits, including their ability to act as filtration systems to improve water quality by absorbing pollutants, as well as playing a major role in the fight against climate change due to their high sequestration rates for carbon dioxide.

"Per unit area, mangroves store carbon three to four times higher than any terrestrial ecosystem," Daniel Murdiyarso, principal scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), tells CNN. "Therefore, keeping mangroves intact and restoring degraded ones are key for climate-change mitigation."