| Dear Friend, I am writing to you at an important time for all of us. As 2013 draws to a close, we reflect upon a significant year for the mangroves – more organizations and scientists are drawing attention to the enormous value and benefits of these ecosystems that can be at the forefront of climate change mitigation. Mangroves are able to sequester more CO2 than any other type of forest- up to 5 times more. This valuable carbon sink has far too often become a carbon source, with huge swathes of mangroves being cleared for unsustainable developments such as shrimp farming.
One can only postulate about how much more severe was the recent typhoon in the Philippines where over 2/3 of its protective mangrove “bioshield” was lost in the last 50 years to aquaculture and other coastal development. We do know that man will never be able to create a stronger, more adaptable, more healthy mangrove buffer zone than nature can. Island and coastal communities living by the sea are becoming more vulnerable due to sea level rise. Yet, recent research shows that mangrove habitats are responding by elevating their soil surface and preventing massive coastal erosion, another huge reason to work with rather than against these vital wetlands.
And finally we mention the proposed thermal power plant in Rampal, Bangladesh, to remind you that the largest mangrove forest in the world, and one of the last remaining strongholds of the magnificent Bengal Tiger- the Sundarbans- is under serious threat and needs our help.
We at MAP realize the need to expand the level of our work to meet the immense challenges we now must face! We greatly appreciate all those who have supported us, as you really do have a huge impact on us and our projects. We sincerely hope that our program updates and visions for the upcoming year will excite and convince you to donate what you can.
For further information please visit our new interactive and engaging website
www.mangroveactionproject.org showcasing all of the work we are involved in, as well as holding an enormous amount of information about mangroves. We encourage you to sign up to receive biweekly news on all things mangroves, and use the new social media features to promote and spread awareness on all we are doing. Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!
For the Mangroves and the Mangrove Communities! 
Alfredo Quarto,
Executive Director
Mangrove Action Project
MAP Promotes Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) The Mangrove Action Project (MAP) participated in several regional training workshops in Asia in order to promote Community-Based Ecological Restoration. Ning Jarawan Enright, MAP’s Field Project Coordinator, presented at the “Carbon Stock Assessment and Emissions Inventory in Asian Mangroves: Executive Summary for Policy Makers” held in Bangkok in April 2013.
 The workshop was co-organized by USAID/RDMA (Regional Development Mission for Asia) through their Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) program, the US Forest Service (USFS), and CIFOR. There were 40 participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. The workshop was a great opportunity for MAP-Asia to share experiences in the region and to re-connect with mangrove network friends representing both NGOs and Government.
Ning presented experiences implementing CBEMR in Thailand at the session on “Mangroves and Adaptation to Climate Change”. Ning was also at the plenary panel discussion panel with the training instructors.One of the main points she emphasized was the importance of gaining access to the degraded mangrove area in order for restoration to take place. In MAP-Asia’s experience, the complexity of land ownership in coastal areas of Thailand and time spent securing sites has greatly slowed the restoration process. This year MAP-Asia facilitated a number of informative CBEMR field study visits to regenerating sites in Ranong, Krabi, and Trang provinces in Thailand for students, researchers, NGOs and media. Visitors could learn first-hand from the demonstration site and by talking with community representatives who were directly involved.  In line with the goal of further disseminating the CMEMR method MAP-Asia will organize an intensive 3-day training workshop in December for 20 community and NGO leaders which will teach both the theory and practical field skills advancing this innovative working-with-nature technique. The training will take place under the Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC) project with support from the German Government’s International Climate Change Initiative (ICI). EPIC is a IUCN project which will show how healthy ecosystems can help reduce the disaster risks and make livelihoods more resilient in six countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Working With Local Communities to Conserve, Restore and Manage Their Coastal Resources
Local community involvement in coastal resource conservation and management are essential ingredients to promote a roadmap for long-term success in mangrove conservation and restoration. MAP is expanding its work with local communities while fully engaged in CBEMR work. In Thailand, two villages on Phra Thong Island, Ban Tha Pa Yoi and Ban Lions (Pak Jok), established protected areas in seagrass meadows near their communities in July 2011. Those meadows are important sources of marine invertebrates that are harvested for local consumption and for sale outside the community. The most important harvested invertebrates are the dog conch, and the sea cucumber, also known as sandfish. The purpose of the protected areas was primarily to protect those species from over-exploitation. They are easily harvested at unsustainable levels because they are found primarily in intertidal seagrass meadows which are open to access by all members of the community, as well as outsiders, without need for gear, boats, or specialized skills.
The purpose of this MAP project is to support the initiative of the two communities to maintain and manage their mangroves and seagrass protected areas, both now and in the future. It is our hope to continue to foster this kind of community involvement in other environmentally sensitive areas where MAP is present.
Mangrove Curriculum Extends Its Reach
in China, Belize and Australia
Educating future decision makers about the true value of mangroves is vital if we hope to see future generations conserve their coastal wetlands. MAP’s Education Director, Martin Keeley, has recently introduced the Marvelous Mangroves Curriculum to public school programs in three more nations- China, Belize and Australia. Two more teacher workshops were held in Belize in early August in a continued push to introduce the curriculum to the entire country. Another training workshop for teachers was held in Xiamen, China while also co-producing a 25-minute video on the 3-day teachers’ workshop which can be used in further outreach efforts.
Each time the curriculum is introduced into a new nation, it must first be adapted to fit the regional ecology and biodiversity, as well as translated into the local language. Work is also now underway in Australia to establish the curriculum there. It is also now being considered for introduction in Kenya, Madagascar and the Dutch Greater Antilles.
MAP’s Question Your Shrimp Campaign
Since its founding in 1992, MAP has been opposing further encroachment of shrimp farming into mangrove areas. Shrimp aquaculture is still a leading cause of mangrove loss. In an effort to tackle the present annual rate of 1% loss of mangroves, MAP is expanding its Question Your Shrimp Campaign, opening up a shared office in Seattle, where the campaign is currently based. Given that approximately 75% of shrimp eaten in the US is consumed in restaurants, MAP has chosen to focus on asking chefs to take the Chef’s Pledge to not buy or serve imported, warm-water shrimp. Several interns and volunteers have joined the QYS team, carrying out a broad survey of chefs and restaurant owners to better understand how to motivate more chefs to take the Pledge. In the last two summer months of 2013, five more chefs signed onto MAP’s Pledge, promising to purchase only local shrimp caught or produced in the USA or Canada. We also have worked to encourage the public to sign our Consumer’s Pledge, which is available on MAP’s website.
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