The Ministry of the Environment has planted 2,700 red mangrove seedlings in two hectares of land in Guayaquil.

The mangrove reforestation is a part of the Ecological Guayaquil project. The red mangrove tree (Rhizophora Mangle) purifies the water and the air and is crucial for the brackish wetlands that surround the port city of Guayaquil

The seedlings were planted in areas around the Mogollón and Cobina branches of the Salado estuary.

Heavy machinery prepared 0.60 hectares of coastal terrain at the Mogollón estuary. In the Cobina estuary, located in the Proletariat with Land neighbourhood in south Guasmo, the terrain was in better shape and 1.4 hectares were planted.

The ministry hopes the reforestation of the mangrove will help the ecosystem of the Salado estuary and improve the natural barriers that protect the 400 families that live in the areas from high tides and flooding. The government workers also educated the residents about the importance of protecting the Salado estuary.

Original story