FEATURE STORY On World Mangrove Day, 9 things to know about these tough plants
WORLD – Over half of the world’s mangrove forests have been lost in the last century, but conservationists and governments are increasingly recognizing them as important carbon sinks, habitat for commercial seafood species, and storm buffers. Forty-two percent of the 13.7 million hectares of remaining mangroves lives in Asia, and Indonesia alone holds 20 percent of the globe’s mangrove forest cover. The archipelagic country also hosts 55 of the world’s roughly 60 to 110 mangrove species (depends who’s counting). Increasing global temperatures will mean a stormier future with more erratic rainfall and rising sea levels. These new conditions will be taxing even for salt-tolerant mangroves — yet people will need their protective cover more than ever. Recognizing mangroves’ importance to people as well as the environment at large, conservationists are increasingly focusing on mangrove protection and reforestation. The government of Sri Lanka has committed to protecting all the country’s mangrove forests. READ MORE ASIA MAP-Asia News: Mangrove Action Day well spent
THAILAND – July 26th was the “International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem”. Mangrove Action Project in Thailand spent this special day with children of Tha Sanook Village School, Phang Nga. MAP and the elementary students were joined by Mr. Donnapat Tamornsuwan of the Raks Thai (CARE) Foundation who is experienced in environmental education and Mr. Rungruang Sunahu of the Mangrove Development Unit of the Dept. of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) who is great with the children. Together, we hosted a mangrove and climate change based session. After the lesson we took a visit to the Ta Sanook Mangrove Nature Trail. The morning was spent learning about the effects of climate change on the earth’s ecosystems. The activities carried out focused on the earth's systems and how climate change impacts every aspect of our planet. Donnapat and Rungruang showed videos and engaged in interactive learning with the students. Lots of smiles, laughs and input indicated a successful learning experience! READ MORE Malaysia to sink illegal foreign fishing boats
MALAYSIA – A Malaysian minister said the Southeast Asian nation would begin to sink rogue foreign fishing vessels that trespass in its waters. The practice began to be employed in Indonesia after Joko Widodo became that country’s president 2014. More than 200 boats have been captured, evacuated and exploded by the Indonesian military in a practice Jokowi, as he is known, has termed “shock therapy.” “We noticed that Indonesia’s radical measures against poaching had contributed to deflation and lowered fish prices due to bountiful catches,” the Malaysian minister of agriculture and agro-based industry, Ahmad Shabery Cheek, told local media after attending a regional fisheries summit in Jakarta this week. Instead of blowing up the vessels, Malaysia will sink them in a manner that encourages artificial reefs to form, according to the minister. READ MORE Sri Lanka prime minister: Mangroves curb climate threat
SRI LANKA – Sri Lanka's prime minister has said mangroves' ability to swiftly absorb carbon make the forests vital in the fight against climate change. His comments come on a day marking the first anniversary of a project to protect all of the nation's mangroves. As well as storing carbon, the forests provide habitat for fish and protect communities from tsunamis and cyclones. Also on Tuesday July 26 – World Mangrove Day – Sri Lanka's president opened the world's first mangrove museum. The museum will act as a hub for conservation training for adults, and educating children about the value of mangroves. It is estimated that 20,000 pupils will visit the museum in the first year. READ MORE March to PMO foiled, 6 held from ‘Save Sundarbans’ demo
Police today foiled a march towards Prime Minister’s Office protesting the Rampal power plant during ‘Save Sundarbans’ demonstration in Dhaka. Six people have been picked up from the spot, Abu Bakar Siddique, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station, told The Daily Star. The programme arranged by National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources, Port and Power was thwarted with teargas shells and batons.Ignoring repeated protests from green activists, environmentalists and political parties, Bangladesh government inked an agreement with India to build the coal-fired plant in the world’s largest mangrove forest. In order to press for the cause, the national committee held a short gathering at Jatiya Press Club and then began their march towards the PMO this morning. Two layers of barricades were torn apart – near Shishu Park and at Shahbagh – before police put an end to the march at Paribagh. Several rounds of teargas shells were lobbed and clubs charged. READ MORE MAP works with bee keepers for sweet connections
THAILAND – IUCN Thailand has brought the Marriott Hotel chain Thailand, and Mangrove Action Project together to work on mangrove planting projects in 2015.The Marriott Hotel relies on MAP’s knowledge for successful planning of their restoration sites. On July 11th, 2016 a new partnership opportunity arose when Mr. Sean Panton, CSR Marriott Representative and Ms. Kanokwan Homchaaim (Nok) took a visit to Nai Nang Village, Krabi province. Producing honey could prove a long-term, supplementary livelihood for the Nai Nang Village Apiculture Cooperative. In addition to this, honeybees help to pollinate local plant species and will benefit the mangrove forest near by. READ MORE AMERICA Seattle’s Mangrove Action Day Celebration raises funds and awareness
USA – In celebration of Mangrove Action Day, or the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, Mangrove Action Project (MAP) put on its first fundraising event in Seattle in many years. Since 1998 the 26th of July has been called the "International Day of Mangroves" or “Mangrove Action Day,” commemorating the Greenpeace activist Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, who died of a heart attack while involved in a massive protest action in Ecuador led by the environmental organizations FUNDECOl (Ecuador) and the crew from the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior. This year, Mangrove Action Day was officially recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. MAP has celebrated Mangrove Action Day from the beginning, joining with other organizations around the world to highlight these incredible ecosystems and the people the rely on them. SEE EVENT REPORT HERE Famous Kitchens May Serve Fake Shrimp Made of Algae
USA – Americans love them some shrimp. Annually, they eat over a billion pounds of the little guys, making shrimp the nation’s most popular seafood. But the journey from seven seas to cocktail sauce isn’t always the friendliest for the environment—or for the laborers who shell your seafood. So biotech New Wave Foods is trying to create a sustainable replacement for shrimp … by building really, really convincing crustaceans out of red algae. “What we try to do is look at the molecular structure of shrimp to understand what gives it textural components like elasticity,” says Dominique Barnes, the company’s CEO and co-founder. The final product, a mix of algae and plant proteins, is an exciting technology that could also be an environmental improvement on the overseas shrimp farming that dominates the market—if it manages to scale up right. READ MORE Mangroves Biodiversity and Ecosystem
USA – To celebrate International Mangrove Day (26 July 2016), the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are pleased to announce the launch of a unique 10-Unit online course on Mangrove Biodiversity and Ecosystems. This curriculum was built to bring awareness of the importance of Mangroves to healthy ecosystems and human communities. The open-access post-graduate Mangroves Course is designed to build expertise in mangrove biology,ecology, assessment, management, and restoration and is predominantly aimed at young academics, professionals, managers, and any other interested individuals, especially from developing countries. The course provides the opportunity for professionals to build their capacity without taking personal leave to attend classes. READ MORE EUROPE MAP video selected for screening at Ekotopfilm 2016 in Czech Republic
CZECH REPUBLIC – MAP’s latest restoration documentary, EPIC, is slated to be screen at the 2016 International Festival of Sustainable Development Films in Prague. Ekotopfilm’s first year in Czech Republic will be held in the nation’s capital, Prague in Olšanka Hotel. Films from all around the world will be screened in five festival days. The festival tour with selected awarded films around 50 cities and towns will follow. Festival in Czech Republic is under the auspices of Prime Minister, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Indrustry and Trade and other. The ambassadors of the event are Jan Mühlfeit, Iva Kubelková, Jitka Válková and Kateřina Neumannová. Ekotopfilm, with its 42 year tradition is the oldest event of its kind in the world. Since 1974 the event has applied the principles of sustainable development that has been declared officialy in 1992 by World Summit in Rio de Janeiro. READ MORE On first International Day, UNESCO calls for protection of mangrove ecosystems
FRANCE – 26 July 2016 – Mangroves are rare and vital ecosystems that help to protect coastlines and mitigate the effects of climate change, but their survival is being jeopardized, the United Nations cultural agency said today, calling for greater preservation efforts as the international community marks the first ever International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem. “Mangroves are rare, spectacular and prolific ecosystems on the boundary between land and sea. They ensure food security for local communities. They provide biomass, forest products and sustain fisheries. They contribute to the protection of coastlines. They help mitigate the effects of climate change and extreme weather events,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a message to mark the Day. “This is why the protection of mangrove ecosystems is essential today. Their survival faces serious challenges – from the alarming rise of the sea level and biodiversity that is increasingly endangered. The earth and humanity simply cannot afford to lose these vital ecosystems,” she added. READ MORE LAST WORD(S) Dear Friends, As you might be awaiting update from the recent public march against the destructive Rampal coal-power plant, we are in the process of doing a detailed report on the latest from Bangladesh. In a nutshell, we have seen a fascist face of the government of Bangladesh which further saddened us.As the marchers walked towards the Prime Minister's office to submit a statement to save the Sundarbans, Police unleashed on peaceful marchers and tortured 200 protesters who were determined to handover a public statement against the black deal that would destroy the world's largest mangrove. Many of our activists, including our Member Secretary, Anu Muhammad were injured and six front-line protesters were detained on arbitrary charges. Nevertheless, media coverage of this heinous attack on peaceful marchers is poor so far. Here's a short English report http://www.thedailystar.net/city/demo-sundarbans-foiled-10-held-1260748 I am still catching up with friends back home and we will be updating you on any new development via twitter. In London we were able to do a peaceful rally though. Despite weather and a week day afternoon, we had a good turn up. Photo journalist Peter Marshall has covered our rally and he will upload his photos on 'My London Diary' tomorrow. In the meantime, please find a few photos from our rally attached. We have done some tweets via Phulbari Solidarity Group and would appreciate it if you can re-tweet and also please do your own outreach by using hashtag #Rampal and #SavetheSundabans. Please feel free to follow us @PSG-BD for further updates.
Yours,
Rumana
Dear Alfredo Quarto,Jim, Martin and other friends at MAP, Greetings from APOWA! We are happy that, the UNESCO (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has recognized the importance of mangroves , declared and celebrating the 26th July, 2016 as first International Mangrove Action Day. We would like to appreciate your continuous efforts make it possible as the international community marks the first ever International Day for Mangroves. We have also been encouraging by MAP for celebrating the International Mangrove Action Day since 2009 in Odisha, India. We are looking forward to nurture a sustained and long term relationship with MAP. Wishing MAP every success in all efforts and actions on mangroves. Please find enclosed a detailed report on International Mangrove Action Day 2016. For the mangroves, Bijaya Kumar Kabi
Director,APOWA
Action for Protection of Wild Animals
At-Hatapatana, PO-Kadaliban, Dist.-Kendrapara
Odisha, Pin-754222, India
READ MORE
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Email submissions to news@mangroveactionproject.org | Action Alerts:The world's largest mangrove forest is in danger from a massive coal plant.
UNESCO can put pressure on India and Bangladesh to protect the forest, but they need to see that people around the world are speaking out. Click here to add your voice. Tell the Ex-Im Bank: Don't let Big Coal wreck mangrove forests
The U.S. Export-Import Bank is considering using US tax dollars to pay for two coal plants in Bangladesh. These projects would wreck the world’s largest mangrove forest and devastate the Bengal tigers that live there. We need your help to stop it! Our new short documentary, Reducing the Risk of Disaster through Nature-Based Solutions : Mangroves 
CALL FOR CHILDRENS ART: We invite all primary school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and whose schools are located near mangroves, to create art telling us "why mangroves are important to my community and me?” Selected winners will be published in the 2017 calendar to be distributed internationally READ MORE
Tell Dam Builders to Pull Out of Agua Zarca Dam! For years, critics of the Agua Zarca dam project in Honduras have been targeted by a campaign of violence, intimidation and outright murder. Then, on March 2, Berta Cáceres – vocal critic of the Agua Zarca Dam, Goldman Prize winner and mother of four – was brutally murdered in her home. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Sign out Petition Tell Red Lobster its "Endless shrimp" deal is damaging and unfair to the workers SIGN THE PETITION
Mangroves: Guidebook to Malaysia – available for download here
Mangrove rehabilitation in Asia – Local Action and cross-border Transfer of Knowledge for the Conservation of Climate, Forests and Biodiversity VIEW VIDEOS HERE Volunteer Opportunities with Mangrove Action Project CLICK HERE
STOP PLANTING MANGROVES ON SEAGRASS BEDS _ A CALL TO ACTION What is CBEMR? Easy to follow fact sheet – CLICK HERE SHARE MAP'S VISION
CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea". Join us in saving our beautiful country!
We hope you have been following the ongoing battle in Bimini, Bahamas.
We are in need of your help more than ever Click here
Exclusive Interview with Alfredo Quarto, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mangrove Action Project – See more
Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum in Bangladesh – WATCH VIDEO MARVELLOUS MANGROVES IN BRAZIL
En Portuges Check out our presentation for more details on Marvellous Mangroves “Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the PhotoPhilanthropy website here! Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine – Read More
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MANGROVE ISSUES The importance of restoring mangroves in an effective, long-term manner. Mangrove CBEMR video – VIEW Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign! WATCH VIDEO Mangrove Restoration in Asia – Watch Short Video 
READ A MOSAIC OF LIFE Peek into the underwater world of mangroves, "womb of the sea." By Liz Cunningham Photos By Wes Matweyew and Liz Cunningham
"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin Information sheds clear light on shrimp-mangrove connection
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Help Mangrove Action Project through your recycled E-Waste. List of Accepted E-waste Items:Injet Cartidges, Cell Phones, Pagers, GPS, Radar Detectors, Mobile Hot Spots, Calculators, eBook Readers, iPods/MP3 players, Digital/Video Cameras/Camcorders, PDAs, iPads/Tablets/Laptops, Video Game Consoles, Handheld Video GamesVisit the Mangrove Action Project recycle website Click on the recycle button then click on the Download Shipping Label, and follow the instructions. 
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