Mangroves forests are found along the coastlines, lagoons, rivers and deltas of 124 tropical and subtropical countries, with Indonesia, Australia, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico together accounting for around half of the total global mangrove area. They act as nurseries for fish and other animals, and as natural storm barriers. But they are thought to be disappearing more rapidly than rainforests and coral reefs. In 1980, the total area of global mangrove forests was about 20 million hectares; today, that figure has dropped by around a fifth, with more than one per cent disappearing annually. More than 90 per cent of mangrove forests are located in rapidly developing countries, where the trees are often replaced by shrimp farms. Photographer Christian Ziegler travelled to Belize to document this unique coastal ecosystem and the threats to its survival