Last year, billionaire Thomas Peterffy purchased a six-acre parcel of untouched mangrove swamp on the island of Palm Beach from the local branch of the Audubon Society — not to destroy and develop it, but to restore and preserve it, The Palm Beach Post reported.
Mangroves, areas where trees grow along shorelines with their tangled roots diving directly into the water, act as vital fish nurseries, and they also store carbon pollution and keep it from heating up the planet. Preserving these key ecosystems is a vital part of protecting the planet for the future.
Audubon Everglades, the previous owner of this parcel, did its best after having the land donated to it. But it didn’t have the budget to maintain the complex landscape, which was being overcome by trash and invasive species…