Minecraft – Minecraft Mangroves: Building a Better World

[MUSIC] >> They are the most incredible trees you’ve never heard of. [MUSIC] >> They are so important to the planet, to communities, to habitats. >> We want to build a better world. If more people fall in love with Minecraft mangroves, hopefully they’ll want to protect real mangroves. [MUSIC] >> I’m Lydia Winters,

Mojang Studios’ chief storyteller. Which basically means I get to talk about Minecraft and all the impact we make with it. Growing up on the Coast of Florida, my sister and I would ride our bikes to this really small park that had mangrove trees. [MUSIC] >> Climbing around it,

It felt like our own secret world. Looking back, I wasn’t playing in trees. I was playing in the super trees that have these amazing root systems. Fast forward to hearing that they were getting added into Minecraft. All those memories came flooding back to me. I want everyone in the world to

Experience that through the game. [MUSIC] >> To learn more, I’m going to meet with Dr. Lola Fatoyinbo. She uses satellites that shoot lasers at mangrove forests to measure their carbon storage. [MUSIC] >> We’re like, in your element now. You’re going to teach me all about mangroves? >> Yes, I can.

What I always say, when you go into a mangrove, it feels either really prehistoric or really futuristic. I can’t decide which one it is. There’s 114 countries that have mangroves worldwide. They originally evolved from Indonesia and Southeast Asia. One of the main distinguishing factors for a mangrove is that they

Have seeds that germinate on the tree and that’s what makes it propagate. They have already little plants that are growing on the tree and then they just have to fall into the water. Then as soon as they find land, they can start growing. >> Do the propagules float over

>> Yes. Actually the propagules are able to float all the way from West Africa across the Atlantic to the Americas. What’s really great about these mangrove trees is that they have these amazing root systems. When you’re swimming underneath a mangrove, for example, you’ll see these different types of fruits

Growing below and all the way above water. Do you want to get in the water with me and we can go snorkeling and I can show you what the roots look like. >> Let’s go. [MUSIC] >> They have these specialized root systems that allow them to breathe air even though they’re standing in

Water, they’re like snorkels. They call them our climate super heroes because they protect us from the effects of climate change, the direct ones, flooding and storms. Then they also help with carbon cycling because they actually are able to take up so much carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the ground.

The mangroves also protect the ocean from a lot of the runoff and maybe pollution that might be coming from the landside. >> There really are super trees. >> Yes. >> It’s so cool that I mean, you get to dive in real mangroves in real life, but not everyone has the opportunity and

Now so many people can do it in the game. [MUSIC] >> I’m Cory Scheviak. I’m a gameplay developer on Minecraft and a social impact advisor at Mojang Studios. One of my jobs is to decide what goes into Minecraft. When we add something new to the game, it always has to have a purpose.

The Wild Update began as a way to enhance the Minecraft wilderness. We wanted to add mangroves to Minecraft. I spent the entire last year just learning about mangroves. This is so perfect to make something larger than life. We wanted them to feel tall. We want them to feel like you could

Go through them on a boat. They’re designed to be an experience that you are inside of. [MUSIC] >> I really want the community to appreciate mangrove trees and hopefully even want to preserve them. [MUSIC] >> I’m Camille. I am a marine conservationist and also provide environmental education and

Community development for the Filipino people. [MUSIC] >> The whole Philippines were losing mangroves annually from typhoons and manmade activities. It’s very important that we protect them because we get so many benefits from them. Most importantly, storm protection. When typhoon Rai passed by the Philippines, there were 7.3 million people affected during this typhoon.

During that time, there’s an area where there’s about 4,000 hectares of mangroves. The communities that were living behind those mangrove areas, they were protected. It’s really important to reforest not just for our generation, but for the next generations to come. [MUSIC] >> I’m seeing an amazing forest.

Actually what makes me really happy is that there’s so many propagules everywhere. I think young Lola would be so amazed at what I’m doing right now. [MUSIC] >> Hearing from Dr. Lola, Cory and Camille was amazing. I think it’s this feeling of exploration, of curiosity and that can continue at any age.

The mangroves in the Wild Update have ignited that curiosity again in me. My sense of wonder has completely come back. [MUSIC] >> Minecraft is a game that inspires people to be creative, inspires them to leave the world better than they found it. >> Inside the game of Minecraft,

I super believe that they can make a difference. They can create awareness about mangroves. They can share that knowledge. We will be able to protect this ecosystem globally. [MUSIC] >> Now let’s explore the mangroves. As a community, we can do anything we put our minds to in Minecraft and for the planet.

Together we can build a better world. [MUSIC]