MALAYSIA - development race puts mangroves at risk

Malaysia's scramble for rich country status threatens its mangroves unless the government puts teeth in its plans to protect the rich wetlands that offer a home to marine life and help block extreme weather. Malaysia's mangrove forests, made up of evergreen trees and shrubs that grow on stilt-like roots in dense thickets, are home to 41 of the world's 69 species of mangrove plants, but they have shrunk about 30 percent in the last 50 years.

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