Why does it pay off to conserve three ecosystems together?

In 10 seconds? Scientists have highlighted a protective synergy between ecosystems threatened by climate change. Where mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs overlap, they mutually boost each other’s resilience to adverse changes in their environment. Protecting such areas can help preserve biodiversity and save money.

How does this boost their resilience? Mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs buffer external stressors, – in other words, weaken the effects of factors that threaten them – in areas where they co-exist. An added benefit is that when ‘working together’ they support a high biodiversity of the multitude of animals living there by providing ‘climate refugia’ – areas that are relatively buffered from climate change.