Company helping to restore mangroves on South Florida coast
MIAMI - South Florida's coastline is hiding a problem because of what you can't see. What was once lined with tall mangroves has been replaced by sea walls and marinas.
"Unfortunately with time and development of Florida's coastline we lost a lot of mangroves," said Dr. Randall Parkinson, a professor with the Institute of Environment at Florida International University.
Mangroves have and continue to play a keep part in the health of the coastline.
"They provide habitat for fish, prevent saltwater intrusion, and buffer the attack of storm surge," said Parkinson.
Development, however, has seen those mangrove coastlines replaced by sea walls and development.
"Under natural conditions, they would have migrated landward, but they can't do that because the coast is developed," Parkinson said.
This problem is something the Rossin brothers are working together to fix. They founded Mang, an apparel company that does more than just sell clothes.
"We started growing our own mangroves in the backyard while at the same time started producing merchandise to sell to consumers," said Kyle Rossin, CEO of Mang.
Every time a piece of apparel is purchased, they plant a mangrove.
"It's our buy one, plant one program," Rossin said.
Seedlings in their backyard will eventually make it out to the shorelines and islands dotting the waterways around West Palm Beach. It's not just the mangroves however that turn this area into their new homes. Birds and other aquatic life make their homes on these mangrove islands as well, all working together to make a healthier ecosystem.
It's slow and takes a lot of hard work but it will not be the only challenge these mangroves have to take on, according to Dr. Parkinson.
"Overcoming people not being aware of how important mangroves are to the water quality," he said.
It's why Mang offers more than just apparel and one plant.
"We're trying to bring education and awareness to restore what we have and enhance areas that lost mangroves over the years," said Rossin, even if they have to do it one plant at a time.