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

FEATURED STORY
MAP AWARDS WINNERS OF ART COMPETITION
 
Jim Enright (center) handing over certificate of achievement to a young artist, Taniltorn Nahyiem, at the Muang Krabi School in Krabi, Thailand who had participated in the art contest for the 2014 MAP Children's Mangrove Art Contest. His artwork was one of 13 chosen for the calendar.
THAILAND – Each year, MAP recognizes several young artisits whose work best showcases the importance of mangrove conservation, protection and restoration. The MAP Children’s Artwork Calendar celebrates the artwork of school-age children around the world. Over the past decade and a half, it has become one of MAPs best fund raising efforts, but not only that, as MAP Thailand Director Jim Enright has found, one of MAPs best educational outreach projects. Each year students from mangrove areas around the globe present their efforts to a team of judges for consideration in each year’s calendar. And each year, the selection gets harder and harder because the bar keeps being raised higher and higher. To order your 2014 Calendar please ORDER NOW
 
ASIA
 
Editors note: It is sad that we must have this kind of tragedy before we talk about taking a more proactive course in restoring the living bio-shield that mangroves provide. Hindsight, though still important, will not bring back those who lost their lives- those who may have survived this typhoon event if only a healthy mangrove buffer was left intact. Losing over 2/3 of its mangroves, makes the Philippines a vulnerable nation, especially in lieu of the new dangers brought on by climate change.
DENR to restore mangrove forests in Yolanda-hit areas
 
PHILIPPINES – It's time to bring back mangrove forests in Eastern Visayas. Almost two weeks after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) laid waste to much of the region, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said his department plans to restore mangroves and beach forests in some 380 kilometers of the region's coastline. This could protect coastal communities from future typhoons, storm surges (flooding due to abnormal sea level rise) and other extreme weather events. According to scientists and environmentalists, mangroves are able to serve as a "buffer," shielding human settlements from the maximum strength of storms. (READ: Mangroves are PH's best shield vs climate change) A massive tree-planting activity under the government’s National Greening Program (NGP) may take place in coastal areas in Tacloban City and Dulag town in Leyte; towns Guiuan, Llorente and Balangiga in Eastern Samar; and the town of Basey in Samar. Spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the program will hire locals as a way of providing livelihood while the communities rebuild in the aftermath of Yolanda. READ MORE
 
Manual on Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation
PHILIPPINES – Over four years, the Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation Project of the ZSL (Zoological Society of London)-Philippines organized the rearing of approximately 58,000 seedlings of a dozen mangrove species in onsite nurseries, and the outplanting of close to 100,000 wildings and nursery seedlings by some 4,000 volunteers from people’s organizations, NGOs, professional organizations and church groups, students and teachers. Biophysical and sociopolitical learnings on mangrove conservation and planting, both positive and negative, from the project are documented in the Manual on Community-based Mangrove Rehabilitation (cover attached) which came out in print early this year. As interest in rehabilitating mangroves grows in the wake of the devastation from Supertyphoon Yolanda, ZSL-Philippines is proud to announce that the Manual is finally online and available to anyone with internet access. READ MORE
 
Why Burma's forests must be preserved
 
Burma – For the first time in more than 50 years, a team of wildlife film-makers has been permitted to venture deep into Burma's barely penetrable jungles. The expedition's insect expert, Ross Piper, explains why the country's forests are special and, in his view, deserve protection. Closed to outsiders for five decades, Burma, also known as Myanmar, is something of an unknown quantity, particularly in terms of its natural riches. The country is right in the centre of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, one of the most biologically important regions of the planet. We know there are still large areas of good quality forest in Burma, which could be among the last real strongholds for a huge range of species. Beyond simply supporting a dazzling variety of life, we have to remember that vast forests like these, often thousands of miles away, are crucial to every one of us, not least because they help to stabilise the climate and maintain the water cycle. READ MORE
 
Indonesia shrimp firm faces dilemma on stocking levels, pricing
INDONESIA – Indonesian shrimp producers are facing a dilemma over stocking levels, as they try to increase production to cash in on increased demand and prices — while at the same time protecting stocks from early mortality syndrome (EMS). “We could increase volumes by 50 to 60 percent, but to do that we’d have to increase stocking densities and thus the risk of disease,” said Sutanto Surjadjaja, managing director of CP Prima, an Indonesian arm of the CP conglomerate. Surjadjaja told SeafoodSource that his firm hopes next year to get production up to 42,000 metric tons (MT) — up from the 36,000 MT expected in 2013. “It’s a difficult call we have to make, between risk and gain.” Average stocking levels in Indonesia are similar to those in other Southeast Asian states like Thailand but CP Prima made a company decision to limit stocking levels in order to prevent disease, explained Surjadjaja. Shrimp prices have increased two fold in the past year he explained, creating a dilemma for CP Prima, which operates the world’s largest shrimp farm and has supply contracts with independent farmers. The CP Prima boss expects shrimp prices to stay solid in 2014 due to the lingering effects of EMS. “Even if there is a rebound in shrimp production it will take a long time for the price to slip back because there is no quick solution to EMS.” READ MORE
 
Asia’s forests grow, but not in Cambodia
 
CAMBODIA – Forest land in Asia-Pacific countries has grown overall since 2002, according to a study released last week, but Cambodia was one of only three countries surveyed to buck the trend. Out of 14 countries included in the study by the Regional Community Forestry Training Center (RECOFTC), only Laos and Papua New Guinea had lost more forest than Cambodia. Overall, the report found that across the 14 countries, forest land had increased from nearly 492 million hectares in 2002 to more than 535 million hectares in 2012. Cambodia lost 420,000 hectares, amounting to about 3.8 per cent of the total. The figures fell far short of another recent study carried out by the University of Maryland and based on satellite data, which estimated that about seven per cent of Cambodia’s forests had been logged in the past 12 years. READ MORE
 
Drowning mangroves in the Sunderbans
BANGLADESH – The rising water levels in the mangroves of Sunderbans has created an imbalance in the area which is otherwise blessed with a unique species diversity. The reason for this is unplanned aquaculture which needs to be immediately checked, writes Atula Gupta. The impermeable floating jungles on the seashores of India and Bangladesh, Sunderbans, are both a blessing and a challenge for life to exist in the region. With an intricate network of interconnecting waterways criss-crossing the area, land has been moulded into patches of innumerable big and small islands. But it is also the richness of the soil and the sustainability of the ecosystem that has blessed the area with species diversity second to no other mangrove habitat in the world. The eternal battle of the sea and rivers, however, that plays out in this mangrove forest shaping its character, is lately tilting in the sea’s favour. So much is the imbalance that scientists fear the rising sea level could soon gobble up the entire eastern end of the Sunderbans. READ MORE
 
Philippines to plant more mangroves in wake of Typhoon Haiyan
 
PHILIPPINES – The Philippines said it will plant more mangrove areas to prevent a repeat of the deadly storm surges that claimed hundreds of lives during Super Typhoon Haiyan earlier this month. President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma said the move was among the measures that will be part of the "comprehensive programme of environmental protection", that is being forged in the wake of the killer typhoon. Environment Secretary Ramon Paje is readying the programme which will include "no-build zones" in coastal areas, even if it means moving people who already live in such places, said Coloma."Among the directives of the president is to restore the mangroves which are natural protection of coastal areas," he told reporters. "We have already prepared mangrove plantations and we hope to begin planting soon because it takes five to seven years for these things to grow," he added.  Mangroves refers to trees and bushes that grow in marine coastal areas like marshlands with the plants standing out of the water during high tide. READ MORE
 
 
AFRICA
 
African Visionary and Conservationist Nelson Mandela 1918-2013
 
SOUTH AFRICA – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, one of the world’s most honored statesmen and conservationists, died at his home near Johannesburg on December 5 at the age of 95. Patrick Bergin, PhD, CEO of the African Wildlife Foundation says that few people know that Mandela’s vision for South Africa included many programs that helped conserve the nation’s land and wildlife. “Though we are deeply saddened by Nelson Mandela’s passing, he leaves behind an iconic legacy – one that is an inspiration to conservationists everywhere,” said Bergin. In 1997, Mandela co-founded Peace Parks Foundation, an organization that works to establish protected areas that preserve animal migration patterns and share wildlife resources. Co-founders were the late Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and the late Dr. Anton Rupert. The official memorial service will be held on December 10 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Not all mangroves are created equal: new map reveals carbon storage hot-spots
 
USA – Mangrove forests are one of the most important weapons in the fight against climate change. Not only do they directly store huge amounts of carbon, but they actively capture additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in their soils. When mangroves are destroyed, huge quantities of carbon are released into the atmosphere, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, until recently, little research has been done to identify which mangrove forests store the most carbon and are therefore most important in combatting climate change. However, all this has changed, thanks to a new study showcasing a global map of carbon storage in mangrove forests. "These results can help guide decisions regarding priority areas for the conservation and rehabilitation of mangroves for climate change mitigation," said Mark Spalding, principle investigator on the project and marine scientist at The Nature Conservancy. READ MORE
 
OCEANA
 
Mangrove Rehabilitation Project for Climate Change Adaptation
 
KINGDOM OF TONGA – Living in the islands of Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga, we are surrounded by ocean, coral reefs and fragile coastline that are susceptible to the threats of global climate change. In Vava’u alone, there are higher tides, stronger storms, winter weather in summer and summer weather in winter. The islands are seeing changes both visibly and economically associated with climate change. Working for the IWCM Coastal Management Project, VEPA is responsible for a mangrove rehabilitation project for climate change adaptation. Sponsored by AusAid and SOPAC, this project looks into mitigating and adapting to climate change through community development. The first site we are working at is Neiafu Tahi, located on the main island of Vava’u Lahi, and a critical community area. The “Old Harbour” as it is known locally, is a small harbor for local fishing vessels, a fishing ground for the women collecting mollusks for food and a home for over 300 people directly. The area is seeing the impacts of climate change with higher seas washing over the sea wall, storm surges and soil erosion. Our part of the project is to show how mangroves can be used as a reducing species of climate change. Mangroves all over the tropics are vital for many uses in community development. READ MORE
 

LAST WORD
 
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~ WE WELOCME YOUR LETTERS – If you’d like to have the last word on this or any other mangrove related topic, please send us your submission for upcoming newsletters. We’ll choose one per issue to have “the last word”. While we can’t promise to publish everyone’s letter, we do encourage anyone to post comments on our Blog at www. mangroveactionproject.blogspot.com

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