English: Mangroves are amongst the most important ecosystems on our planet, they support a high biodiversity and protect our coasts from erosion. They are essential for the mitigation of climate change (carbon sequestration through reforestation and forest preservation) and adaption to its effects (e.g. defence against severe storms). According to a study recently published in the Science of the Total Environment scientific journal, these precious ecosystems are at particular risk of being polluted by plastics carried from rivers to the sea. In particular, fifty-four percent of mangrove habitats around the world are within 20 km of a river that discharges more than a metric tonne of plastic waste into the ocean each year, where it can heavily damage its habitats. This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 31 May 2020, shows the estuary of the Micay River, located in the Esmeraldas-Pacific Colombia mangroves ecoregion, one of the areas identified in the study as being at high risk of plastic pollution. Copernicus Sentinel missions are suitable for mapping and monitoring the extent and health of mangrove forests and for determining their richness in species.