One of the biggest risk factors in South Florida is flooding, in the present and in the near future. This Miami High club is willing to do something to fix this problem for individuals in Miami-Dade. 

What is the Mangrove Mission Project? 

   The Mangrove Mission Project is a project that the Science National Honors Society (SNHS) will be hosting to help the community avoid flooding.  

   The reason for this is because mangroves are tropical trees that are adapted to wet soils, saltwater, and being periodically submerged by tides. Mangroves provide protection to areas by absorbing water during weather events, such as storms and hurricanes. There are many areas in Broward, Miami Dade, and Palm Beach counties that are prone to flooding, so a project like this can help reduce the chances of flooding. 

What is expected to come from the Mangrove Mission Project? 

   According to the project, mangroves will be planted in a greenhouse at Miami High. Then, once the mangroves are ready to be transplanted, they will be moved to communities that are prone to flooding to help reduce that risk.  

   SNHS President Rosalyn Morin got the idea for this project from a professor at the University of Miami who operates her own non-profit organization. “We both agreed that we wanted to help the community. With a common problem that happens in Miami, we knew that this project will be able to prevent this problem in a natural and non-destructive way,” she said. 

   Rosalyn, along with other SNHS officers, has gone to areas like Coconut Grove and Key Biscayne, to collect mangrove seeds in order to grow them. With the great number of seeds collected, our members will help maintain the growth of our mangroves in a greenhouse that will be installed in one of the gardens at our school.”  

   Flooding is one of Florida’s most frequent hazards especially during rainy season from May through October. According to the article titled “Does Miami-Dade County have risk?” posted on the website riskfactor.com, in Miami-Dade there are 266,354 properties that have greater than 26% chance of being severely flooded over the next 30 years. This represents 64% of properties in Miami-Dade. Therefore, the expected result from this project is to see less flooding in flood-prone neighborhoods in Miami.  

Advantages of the Mangrove Mission Project 

   This project will have a huge advantage, which is to help the community of Miami avoid the dangerous effects of heavy rain. This project is also a great way to bring many people together for a greater cause. “The project will help bring the students of Miami together, and grow the community within SNHS, as well as help our local community,” said Rosalyn.  

Facts about mangroves 

• Mangroves act as natural barriers against rising tides and storm surges 

• Over 100 tropical and subtropical countries have mangroves along their coastline 

• Mangroves are the only trees in the world that can tolerate saltwater 

• Approximately 1% of the world’s mangroves are lost each year 

• Mangroves can live up to 100 years 

Sources: < https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/stories/facts-about-mangroves > 

 < https://hlw.org.au/newsroom/5-awesome-facts-about-mangroves/ >