"I spent a lot of the last year walking through mangroves, marvelling at the life that thrives in these otherworldly ecosystems. Their chaotic tangled roots, salty green leaves and dense foliage create a delicate dance of wind, water and light that make mangrove forests the most magical of spaces - and home to a fascinating array of wildlife across the Indian coast, from tigers and otters to crocodiles, birds and insects. Mangroves are nurseries for young fish, shelter to otters, hunting grounds to crocodiles, livelihoods for so many fisher-folk and vital carbon sinks for a planet threatened by climate catastrophe.

In a densely populated city like Mumbai, the mangroves are green lungs, the first defense against natural disasters like cyclones, and gravely threatened by urbanisation, unchecked development, pollution and encroachment."