Explore the winners of our 2024 Children’s Mangrove Art Contest!

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MAP News Issue 345 – August 16, 2014


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Partnering with mangrove forest communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers and local governments to conserve and restore mangrove forests and related coastal ecosystems, while promoting community-based, sustainable management of coastal resources.

The MAP News
345th Edition                                August 16, 2014

Mangrove Action Project

Action Alerts:

Your Century! Event Information
On Friday 21st November, 2014, 200 young people will go on a journey across continents, exploring environmental problems and their solutions.
VIEW DETAILS
 
CBEMR work on Klang Island, Krabi is Finally Underway –
MORE INFO

Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has prepared a statement to world leaders on the serious risks posed by climate change. By clicking here you can add your name.
 
The survival of the Sundarbans is now at peril as the government is adamant to set up a coal-based power plant (1320 mw) adjacent to the forest. VIEW VIDEO

CALLING FOR MANGROVE ART SUBMISSIONS!
A fun and exciting Art Contest for children 6 to 16 years old. 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 a 2015 calendar to be distributed internationally to raise awareness of mangrove forest ecology.  READ MORE

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
  
Save the Date! XIV World Forestry Congress, Durban, South Africa, 7–11 September 2015 READ MORE
MAP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN THAILAND VIEW REQUIREMENTS

Pre-Order your 2015 Calendar
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1-20 calendars, $12 each plus shipping
21-49 calendars, $10 ea plus shipping
50-100 calendars, $8 each plus shipping.
Over 100 $7 each plus shipping

Save the Sundarbans from Rampal power plant – View Sample Letter to Minister
Sign the Petition
 
New information shreds clear light on shrimp-mangrove connection
Question Your Shrimp
VIEW MORE

Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition

Donate to MAP via Paypal
Giving could never be easier

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It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.
 
—Mahatma Gandhi

Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE


MANGROVE ISSUES 

View New Videos posted by MAP Asia intern, Delphine. CLICK HERE
 
The importance of restoring mangroves in an effective, long-term manner. Mangrove video – VIEW

Please view our new video for our Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign! It is now on our website under the Question Your Shrimp section heading. WATCH VIDEO

Mangrove Restoration in Asia – Watch Short Video
Mosaic of Life 
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

View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel

“Education In The Mangroves" can now be seen on the  PhotoPhilanthropy website here!

Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.
By Martin A. Keeley, Education Director, Mangrove Action Project
Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT

FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT THESE SIGHTS
SLIDE SHOW
    VIMEO SHOW

Education In The Mangroves
Six minute video features discussion of Mangrove Action Project’s Mangrove Curriculum VIEW THE VIDEO
 
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine – Read More
 


"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

LISTEN TO INTERVIEW


Join MAP on Facebook


Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp


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Note to Our Readers:
We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control,
occasionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to locate the original story.




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 Games

Visit 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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FEATURED STORY
Mangrovia Joins MAP’s Marvellous Mangroves August 2014
Mangrovia
USA – 2014 has so far been a busy year for MAP’s Marvellous Mangroves curriculum -­‐ perhaps one of our busiest. Beginning in January Education Director Martin Keeley visited Kenya where initial work has started on translating into Swahili and adapting Marvellous Mangroves for schools in that country. Later that month he visited Freeport, Bahamas, where students and teachers enjoyed a two-­‐day workshop. Meanwhile, MAP associate Mafruza Khan joined students and members of CLEAN Khulna in the Sundarbans to conduct a trial run of various activities. Work continues in Khulna on translation to Bangla as well as adaptation to local flora and fauna, and teacher workshops are planned for early 2015. The summer has been exceptionally busy. It started with a joint workshop held in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, with co-­‐sponsors Blue Forests. Founder Ben Brown organised the translation and adaptation of Marvellous Mangroves for use in Indonesia, and it was launched at a 3-­‐day teachers’ workshop at PPLH Puntondo, Takala, South Sulawesi with 30 teachers attending as well as a surprise afternoon visit from 15 schoolchildren (grades 5-7). READ MORE
 
AFRICA
 
Mangrove Forests Under Siege of Illegal Human Activities
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TANZANIA – Mangroves grow along coastal areas in deltas where cold water river enters the ocean. Tanzania is one of few countries which have been blessed with mangrove forests, with an estimated 115,000 total hectares of the trees. According to scientists, there are about nine species of mangroves in the country. Variations of species and their location are the key factors which determine the growth and size. The trees produce their own natural treatment that protects them against all types of insects and other harmful organisms. The trees offer a number of benefits, one being protecting beaches and coastal areas against storms. The importance of mangrove forests was evident during Tsunami catastrophe in 2004 in Southern Asia, where areas which had mangrove forests were less affected compared to those with bare beaches. For quite a number of years, the trees have been hunted as they are sold at higher prices in local and international market due to their high quality. The trees are mostly sought for construction especially in tourist hotels. They are also wanted for boat making, charcoal, furniture and building houses. READ MORE
 
ASIA
 
Mangrove loss, dredging blamed in Holiday deaths
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PAKISTAN – The death toll from the Eid holiday drowning tragedy rose to 34 after 11 more bodies were recovered from the Arabian Sea. Political parties called for an independent inquiry into the incident which, according to a fisherfolk organization, occurred mainly because of growing human intervention in the sea by the DHA and port authorities. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) chairman Mohammed Ali Shah said three factors had made the Karachi beach a dangerous point. First, mangroves on the coastal area have been cut. This has intensified tidal waves. Second, dredging activity by the port authorities and reclaiming of lands by the DHA have increased. The PFF chief believed that there should be no commercial activities in an area within 500 metres from the beach. Third, police and the administration have failed to make security and other arrangements, especially during holidays and weekends. READ MORE
 
Sunderbans Mangrove Trees Losing Capacity to Absorb CO2
BANGLADESH – The vast mangrove forest in the Sunderbans is fast losing its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouse gases, from the atmosphere due to rise in the salinity of water, rampant deforestation and pollution, a study has found. The mangrove forest, marsh grass, phytoplanktons, molluscus and other coastal vegetation in the world's largest delta are the natural absorbers of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to the study. The stored carbon in the plants is known as "Blue Carbons". The absorption of CO2 is a process which contributes to reduction of the warming of the earth and other ill effects of climate change. The research study, "Blue Carbon Estimation in Coastal Zone of Eastern India – Sunderbans", was financed by the Union government and headed by noted marine scientist Abhijit Mitra. The report took three years to prepare and it was submitted to the government last year. READ MORE
 
Report says mangrove cover unchanged for nine years, activists aghast
INDIA – Maharashtra's mangrove cover has remained unchanged at 186 sq km for nearly a decade, according to an environment ministry report that was questioned by activists and forest officials alike. Titled India State of Forest Report 2013, the report has been prepared by the Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India by using remote sensing data. It says that India's mangrove cover measures 4,628 sq km or 0.14% of the total area; "compared with the 2011 assessment, there has been a net decrease of 34 sq km." The drop has been noted in West Bengal on account of exclusion of creeks and in Gujarat. READ MORE
 
German help for proposed mangrove sanctuary in Airoli
INDIA – The state forest department has tied up with a German government agency, GIZ, to create a marine interpretation centre (MIC) along the Airoli coast of the Thane creek. A unique urban mangrove sanctuary for the public to enjoy open wetland spaces is to be created by the centre. The MIC is expected to be ready by next year. "MIC will be akin to the Nehru Science Centre in Worli; only, it will be on a grander scale covering the northern tip of Thane creek, and dealing with environmental science and wetlands," chief conservator of forests (mangroves cell) N Vasudevan said on Monday. "It can be an ideal place for students and the public at large who want to know and enjoy nature." READ MORE
 
Mangrove forest conservation measures proposed
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VIETNAM – Mangrove forests develop in shallow water, such as in gulfs and estuaries sheltered by capes, narrow straits or along coasts protected by archipelagos. Although they account for a small part of Viet Nam's forests, they provide an important role in the preservation and protection of coastal and estuarine regions, habitat provision, storm protection, erosion control and carbon sequestration, said Phan Huy Thong, director of the National Agriculture Extension Centre. Mangrove forests are present in 20 provinces and cities in the country, mostly in the south, and have diverse species, Thong told participants at a forum organised by the centre and the Ca Mau Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Mangroves in 1943 covered 408,500ha but due to aquaculture and urban development, the country has lost nearly 60 per cent of its mangrove forest over the last 70 years, to only 166,000ha now, he said. "Coastal erosion and higher levels of sea water caused by climate change have contributed to mangrove forest reduction," said Nhu Van Ky, an expert of the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry's Department of Forest Development. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Mangroves already on the move in Southwest Florida
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USA – The spidery-looking mangroves stretch about 60 feet from the seawall guarding Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers, Florida. The plants separate the park from the Caloosahatchee River and provide welcome greenery. But they have nowhere to move, which means they're doomed to drown in the next hundred years due to sea level rise. In the past, mangroves have dealt with sea level rise and fall through their ability to migrate and "build land" around them. However, as the rate of sea level rise accelerated during the 20th century, mangroves became less effective at building land, said Kevin Cunniff, research coordinator for Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in an emailed response to The News-Press. The issue for many of Southwest Florida's mangroves is a lack of space. Coastal development and erosion control structures like the seawall at Centennial Park prevent the trees from migrating away from the rising seas. READ MORE

Fishermen plant mangroves
VENEZUELA – Fishermen recently established some 400 starts of black and red mangroves in Amuay Bay, and revived hopes of greening the area. The group’s aim was to progressively re-establish environmental conditions, improve the ancestral territory’s way of life for their communities and to protect the Bay’s natural carbon sinks. Volunteers gathered Saturday August 2nd to plant mangroves in coastal wetlands of the Bay Amuay, in the town Los Taques. The day began at 8:30 am and was attended by students from Community Service and Environmental Engineering, University of Falcón (UDEFA), representatives of the GNB Environmental Guard, fisherfolk and environmentalists AEPA Falcon and delegates Redmanglar Internacional. MORE ON REMANGLAR
 
Community doubts Plans Aim for Adequate Protection for Mangroves
EL SALVADORE – A future tourist investment to be made in the mangrove area located in Jiquilisco, Usulutan, does not necessarily mean joy for the members of the 24 families of La Tirana community in the Bajo Lempa. Nahum Adam Diaz, leader of the Association of Communities of Mangrove Bay Jiquilisco said they are concerned about the supposed "privatization of access to the sea." "It's a big problem for us because some ask mangrove grant, which for us is the anchor that gives life to all who surround him," said Diaz. "Since 2007 we have protected this forest, we have provided handling and feel like owners, and I think we have the right to be considered," said the leader. READ MORE

 
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