“We have to learn to live with the water, we have to learn to live with the mangroves.” – Alex Harris, lead climate reporter for the Miami Herald.
Paleobiologists estimate that the first instances of mangrove habitats evolved 50-75 million years ago. Their significance for the equilibrium between land, sea, and air has remained steady into the contemporary era. With root structures that vary between particular species, they share a crucial commonality: healthy mangrove ecosystems store up to five times more carbon than their forest counterparts and trap the compound within their root systems for centuries, if not longer. In vehicle dependent coastal cities like Miami, which recorded a carbon dioxide output of 36.5 metric tons in 2019, this factor is especially important. It is a fact that many who cut down mangroves to make way for better views or access to water fail, or lack the willingness to understand.
It does not take the eyes of Sherlock Holmes to notice the stark differences in foliage between different sectors of Miami, Florida. Like many things in this illustrious city, the amount of trees and shrubbery (along with what kinds) in your area is a measure of privilege– much like the model of your car, the brand of your clothes, or the size of your overpriced apartment. It is a well known yet mostly unspoken understanding that the racially motivated consequences of 1960s Urban Renewal efforts haunt this city.
Anyone can drive down to Little Haiti or Overtown and feel the stark heat of the sun sizzling against their skin or the concrete boiling the soles of their shoes, then head over to Coral Gables and enjoy the sprawling canopies of shade from the gorgeous Live Oak trees. A mere 10 miles away from one another, the foliage contrasts bewilderingly. Sophia Abolfathi’s Suncoast Emmy-Award winning documentary March of the Mangroves explores how the trees renowned for their resilience and climate-defying powers have not been spared from the growing pains of industrialization. By cutting between snippets of a vintage travel advertisement describing the changes happening to ‘control the wilderness of Florida’ and interviews with individuals involved in sustaining mangroves, Abolfathi is able to weave a narrative that includes the past, present, and future of environmental activism.
Amongst the interviewees are expert climate reporters (Alex Harris), Historians (Dr. Marquardt), Professors (Dr. Angela Witmer), and citizen activists making real change on the ground. While protected by Florida law, the stability of mangrove populations in the United States are precarious in light of new administration and a rigorous campaign against climate change education. The failure to adapt to environmental struggle is already harming South Floridian residents– we have seen the damage done in the aftermath of hurricanes that are developing more often and more viscous than ever, and nobody can escape the excruciating heat in the summers.
Socioeconomic gaps in the city of Miami shine even brighter in the summer months; There are those who are able to vacation on our beaches and tan just enough to look good for snapshots, and those who are forced to work long days under the blazing heat with little shade and a severe lack of heat protection granted by law or corporate contracts.
March of the Mangroves instills a sense of urgency in its viewers, as well as a newfound appreciation for the trees they have always noticed but not given too much thought to. However, it is not about panic or defeatist ideology that urges us to put down our tools and give up in the face of a terminally ill planet. Instead, it places mangroves as a pillar of what it means to be climate conscious in a technological world where we are overwhelmed with information and disastrous news every day. It is refreshing to hear the history of communities that figured out how to live within nature sustainably and to acknowledge that all hope is not lost.
It is not too late for change. It is not too late to start caring about the world around us. Mangroves have become a striking symbol: if our leaders dismiss or minimize the importance of these trees, they will do the same to our marginalized families and friends. If rich folks who buy property on our beaches just to get rid of mangroves because they are able to pay the fines without breaking a sweat, who is to say they won’t do the same to their neighbors who have lived in this city for generations? And if mangroves no longer exist, we will not not be far behind.
