Mangrove News Digest # 624 – May 17, 2025
From Sundarbans to Kerala: Meet the Everyday Heroes Fighting to Save India’s Mangroves
INDIA – They’re not environmentalists by label, but by life. These five individuals are restoring mangrove forests—vital, vanishing ecosystems that protect India’s coasts. From community projects to hands-on work in the mud, their actions speak louder than policies, showing how quiet persistence can outlast even the toughest climate threats. From the majestic Sundarbans— a UNESCO treasure—to the vibrant coasts of Kerala, these mangrove heroes stand as untapped protectors.
By Increasing Mangrove Protections Now, Coastal Countries Can Help People and Nature
GLOBAL – The Mangrove Breakthrough—a global call to action to protect and restore mangroves and to finance that action—urges governments and nonstate actors to reverse the decline of these vital ecosystems.
Rejuvenating island from the ground up
INDONESIA – Pulau Tanjung Surat is a living example of how a small community can drive environmental change, restore ecosystems and build a sustainable local economy from the ground up.
A Helping Hand for Mangroves
USA – Hurricanes and alterations to natural hydrology have hammered Florida’s mangroves, but they can be restored. Hurricanes aren’t the only thing killing off mangroves. Sea-level rise caused by climate change is a major threat.
Bandar Fort Reserve Forest in AP Struggling Against Encroachment
INDIA – Spread over about 26,000 acres of land, the efforts of foresters to restore mangrove forests are being thwarted on one pretext or another. A move made to restore at least 60 hectares’ area in 2024-25 ended up in just 20 hectares.
Puerto Rico’s Resilient History Mirrors the Mangrove
PEURTO RICO – Half of the world’s mangroves are in danger of disappearing. Ensuring their survival is essential to Caribbean resistance movements. Fighting for the future of mangroves teaches us how to regenerate ourselves.
Mangroves help raise hundreds of billions of fish annually
GLOBAL – Beneath the surface, mangroves’ tangled root systems harbor a world that is teeming with life. For centuries, coastal communities have fished and foraged in mangrove-rich waters, relying on their resources to survive.
Where In The World Is MAP?
This Week’s Featured MANGROVE ACTION PROJECT Case Study:
Imagining alternative approaches in Tanzania
Location: Tanzania
Timeline: January – February 2019
Goal: To find sustainable conservation solutions and scenarios for the declining coastal forests with local communities
ACTION ALERTS
URGENT NOTICE – Save Panama’s Mangroves: sign the petition.
Keep Deutsche Bahn out of Amazonia!
Fight the Marine Bitumen Spill
Stop land grabbing and racial discrimination for palm oil in Ecuador
Thank you to our many supporters who made this work possible, and to all of our friends and partners working to protect mangrove forests, worldwide. Mangrove Action Project relies on the generosity of donors to do our urgent work. Whether it’s a one-time or monthly commitment, your contributions make a real difference in safeguarding these critical ecosystems.
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