Protecting the protectors: racing to save Philippine mangroves

Mangroves are a key natural defence against storm surges and coastal erosion in the Philippines, which is hit by around 20 typhoons each year. But the country has lost over 60% of its mangrove cover since 1918, government data shows, and increasingly powerful storms are threatening what remains by stirring up sediment that clogs water channels and suffocates mangroves at the roots.