Saving Lamu Mangroves:
From Futile Photo Ops To Real Progress |
KENYA – Hundreds flock Lamu County, not only for the beauty of Kenya’s oldest Lamu town but also to be part of something bigger: to save the endangered coastal mangrove forests. Each year, visitors join locals in ceremonial mangrove planting, taking photos with the seedlings before leaving them to their fate. In so doing, guests have ignored the locals’ indigenous or scientists’ technical knowledge on mangrove restoration. Regrettably, this approach has not yielded results. Targeted areas for forestation continue to degrade and are now extending far onto dry lands as rising sea levels rage. The Kitangani mangrove restoration site, where tens of tons of dredged sand were deposited in 2018 and is now a man-made beach, remains a reminder of such efforts, where planning has been done four times, all in futility. To effectively respond to this challenge, a Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) approach is being deployed. This approach, spearheaded by Wetlands International, a non-profit organization, takes into account both the biological and ecological aspects of mangroves. Further, it also seeks first to understand the historical and sociological underpinnings that influence ongoing restoration efforts.
“For our Chukuchu site, we have been taught the importance of assessing the salinity, hydrology, and ecological conditions and getting the right species to transplant, unlike before when we would plant any propagule anywhere,” Husna Bakari, the group’s vice secretary, says as she wades through thigh-high thick mud. |
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Playa Hermosa Wetlands Fall Victim to Unregulated Development |
COSTA RICA – The Costa Rican media Teletica published a report on various environmental irregularities occurring in Playa Hermosa. Neighbors and environmentalists claim that enormous damage is being registered in a wetland located there. The Salvemos Hermosa movement arose in response to the community’s claims that uncontrolled real estate developments are destroying the mangroves and endangering the species that inhabit the area. Environmental lawyer Walter Brenes told Teletica journalists that environmental viability and construction permits are being issued, knowing that this is detrimental to the wetlands in the area. He even pointed out that there is a map that the authorities have not made official, in which it can be seen that the coverage of the wetlands is much greater than what is presented in the maps commonly used by the authorities.“Since 2016, SINAC determined the existence of the wetland in the area. For reasons unknown to me, the Municipality of Garabito and SINAC have not been able to reach an agreement to defend the wetlands. We have an unprecedented landfill, which I call open-pit,” said the lawyer. |
| Mangrove research centre to be established in Bangladesh |
BANGLADESH – Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said the Bangladesh government will establish a state-of-the-art mangrove research center in the country. He said projects will be undertaken on mangrove forest protection, conservation and restoration in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. He also said the government will sign an MoU for collaboration with UAE state-owned organization DP World in this regard. The environment minister made the comments during a meeting with officials from the United Arab Emirates to discuss the Mangrove Restoration Project at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
The environment minister said collaborative endeavors with esteemed partners like the UAE are paramount for mangrove ecosystem restoration. This strategic alliance seeks to leverage collective knowledge, resources, and innovative solutions to ensure the preservation and revitalization of mangrove habitats. Young people will be sensitized against plastic pollution and mangrove restoration. Priorities will be given for nature-based solutions, he added. Ayla Bajwa, senior vice president of DP World, said his organization will work for enhancing, restoring, and protecting mangroves, fostering capacity building for science and innovation, and empowering communities connected to mangrove ecosystems. |
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OECS marks Intl. day of forests, unveils Woburn mangrove documentary |
CARIBBEAN – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) joins the global community in commemorating the International Day of Forests, 2024. This year’s theme, “Celebrating Forests and Innovation for a Sustainable Future,” underscores the critical role of forests in climate change mitigation, water and food security, and as habitats for threatened and endangered species. The significance of forests in the Eastern Caribbean is magnified due to their vital environmental and socio-economic contributions. In alignment with this year’s theme, the OECS is excited to announce the release of a documentary detailing the restoration journey of the Woburn and Woodlands mangrove area in Grenada. Devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the area has witnessed monumental restoration efforts. Building on this momentum, the OECS, through the EU-funded BioSPACE Project, is providing assistance in Flood Mitigation Measures within the Woburn and Woodlands Marine Protected Area and its surrounding community. |
| Colombia-Ecuador Border Communities Unite for Climate Adaptation |
COLUMBIA – “The land without a tree is naked and tender,” sings Inés Morales as she cradles a small mangrove plant in her hands. She is the leader and elder in the Afro-Ecuadorian Comarca of Northern Esmeraldas, a community living along Ecuador’s border with Colombia. “It grows like a child and holds in its memory the hidden songs of the universal soul,” she continues. In her community, trees and mangroves are considered sources of life. In the Colombia-Ecuador border area, mangroves – forests that appear to float on water – are threatened by pollution, the climate emergency and violence related to drug trafficking. According to estimates, 10 percent of mangroves have disappeared in the last 10 years at global level. In this particular area, the loss is estimated at 6 percent, corresponding to almost 145,000 hectares. For centuries, these jungles and the tropical forests of the Amazon foothills have been home to Afro-descendant communities and the Awá Indigenous people. |
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Global spatial dataset of mangrove genus distribution in seaward and riverine margins |
GLOBAL – Mangroves are nature-based solutions for coastal protection however their ability to attenuate waves and stabilise and accrete sediment varies with their species-specific architecture and frontal area. Hydrodynamic models are typically used to predict and assess the protection afforded by mangroves, but without species or genus distribution information, the results can be significantly different from reality. Data on the frontal genus of mangroves exposed to waves and tides can provide information that can be used in hydrodynamic models to more accurately forecast the protection benefit provided by mangroves. Globally, frontal species were identified from existing mangrove zonation diagrams to create a global mangrove genus distribution map. This dataset aims to improve the accuracy of hydrodynamic models. Data may be of interest to researchers in coastal engineering, marine science, wetland ecology and blue carbon. |
| Jupiter Narrows Conservation Alliance push to restore mangroves |
USA – A nonprofit is on a mission to restore and protect mangroves in northern Palm Beach County. The Ocean Conservancy, the nation’s oldest marine nonprofit, announced Friday its support of the newly formed Jupiter Narrows Conservation Alliance. The group will work to save the mangrove islands at Jupiter Narrows, located along the Indian River, as well as its surrounding seagrasses. Conservationists said there’s an urgent need to take action. “Mangroves want to live on Florida water … so if we can create the conditions for them to thrive, they will thrive,” Jon Paul Brooker, Florida’s director for conservation at Ocean Conservancy, said. “Our aspiration is to help create those conditions for them to bring them back. These mangroves are really at the brink, but that doesn’t mean the mangroves don’t belong there or can’t thrive there, so we’re hopeful to make them thrive there.” |
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Mangrove Action Project Annual Report |
MAP is proud to release a report of our annual accomplishments and financial health for the past year. Check out a global map of the places we’re working, and highlights from all of our programs. 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. |
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