 Mangrove forests are shown here in green, while they represent a small proportion of the world's forests that provide immense ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are the benefits that plants and other wildlife provide to humans. Mangroves provide services such as filtering water, stabilizing shorelines, and providing habitat. Mangrove roots help build up sediments. Accumulating sediments has several positive effects on the ecosystem. These include filtering water. Sediments can help trap toxins that ordinarily would be found in water. Sediments trapped by mangrove roots also help stabilize shorelines. This forms an important barrier that absorbs wave energy and protects the coast during storms. Mangrove roots are also very important for providing habitat to animals. By stabilizing shorelines, filtering water, and providing habitat, a single hectare mangrove forest can provide over $12,000 of ecosystem services every year. Mangroves act as a water filtration plant, a seawall, and a fish nursery, and they do it all for free. However, since the mid-1900s, almost half of all mangrove forests have been lost. Overdevelopment, shrimp farming, and climate change all contribute to the loss of mangrove forests. At sea levels increased due to climate change, we need mangrove forests to protect us more than ever. We need to protect mangrove forests.