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

MANGROVE ACTION DAY CELEBRATED WORLDWIDE

GLOBAL – This year MAP has received an unprecedented number of emails, notes and photos from groups around the world celebrating an international Day of Mangroves. July 26 was originally proclaimed Mangrove Action Day in Ecuador by the group RedManglar in 1998.  July 26th commemorates that day in 1998 when a Greenpeace activist from Micronesia, Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, died of a heart attack while involved in a massive protest action. In 2003, MAP (Mangrove Action Project) and Red Manglar joined forces to encourage fisherfolk from around the world to join them on Mangrove Action Day to form cooperative flotillas to protest the destructive expansion of shrimp farming in their areas. This call to action got positive responses from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, Europe and the USA. Today, the day has grown to include all continents where mangroves grow. Since 1992, MAP is proud to be part of growing global awareness of these important and critical habitats. Known to be primary carbon sinks, mangroves serve the planet in many other important ways, from preserving world fisheries, shielding coral reefs from erosion and silt, to protecting coastal villages from the ravages of tsunamis. We want to thank all the groups, organizations, governments and local communities for coming together to celebrate these important ecosystems.

AFRICA
 
Celebrating World Mangrove Day Planting Mangroves for Shoreline Protection
KENYA – On 26th July 2013, the Mangrove Team of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) joined the world in celebrating International Mangrove Action Day by replanting about 2000 mangrove seedlings of Sonneratia alba in an eroding shoreline of Gazi bay located in the South Coast of Kenya. The event was supported by Edinburgh Napier University students’ carbon offset program. International Mangrove Day was celebrated for the first time in 1998 in Ecuador to governments against industrial development. The event in Kenya saw a good participation of local communities, civil society, school children, government agencies and scientists in mangrove conservation and management. Unlike in Asia and Latin America where aquaculture is a major cause of mangrove degradation, in Kenya and Africa at large over-harvesting of mangrove wood products for energy and building has been ranked the major cause of mangrove loss. READ MORE
 
ASIA
 
The Kids are Acting Up Again
INDONESIA – MAP Indonesia celebrated International Mangrove Day on July 26 at Losari Beach Boulevard in downtown Makassar, South Sulawesi.  The context for the event is the large-scale historical conversion of mangroves in the Province to aquaculture (more than 75% of 110,000 ha of mangroves converted).  The event made communities aware that mangrove forests, small and large, still exist in South Sulawesi, and that local communities have recently undertaken 400 ha of restoration in disused aquaculture ponds.  MAP-Indonesia presentations brought to light six important issues that are included in South Sulawesi’s recent Provincial Mangrove Strategy; 1) a moratorium on conversion of mangroves to fish ponds, 2) improved spatial planning mangrove conservation, 3) community based mangrove rehabilitation and management, 4) targeted restoration of disused and abandoned shrimp ponds, 5) improvement of current poor restoration and rehabilitation practices with promotion of processes like Ecological Mangrove Rehabilitation and 6) improved extension services to current fish farmers, focusing on participatory learning processes such as Fish Farmer Field School as a way to reduce the pressures for expansion and improve rural coastal livelihoods. READ MORE
 
Action for Protection of Wild Animals leads the observance of International Mangrove Action Day
INDIA – The observation of Mangrove Action Day is an annual international event observed by mangrove countries where activities are held to demonstrate support for mangrove protection. In this context, community awareness program was conducted at Kunjabihari High school, Tarapada of Kendrapara district of Odisha state, India. There are 64 Eco club students of the school; teachers and community members were participated. Experts   from Mangrove Forest Division (WL), Rajnagar, members of APOWA, academic institutions, media persons and  CSOs were invited as resource persons. Mr. Kailash Chandra Rout, head master of this school was presided over the meeting. Mangrove Art competition on “Why mangroves are important to my community”. On the occasion of Mangrove Action Day an Art competition was held among students of Kunjabihari High school. There are 32 students participated in the competition and reflected their beautiful ideas through the art. The best three art were selected by Jury and awarded.  READ MORE
 
Rep warns of US bid to ban EMS shrimp
THAILAND – The Thai Trade Center for the United States has warned Thai shrimp exporters of US attempts to stringently enforce a ban on imports of shrimp with EMS (Early Mortality Syndrome), as the changes could hurt Thai shrimp farmers and exporters. Pichalai Siripanich, senior director of the Thai Trade Centre in Los Angeles, said Louisiana senators were attempting to push through a bill against the import of shrimp with EMS, which is currently spreading across globe, including Southeast Asia. The move, he said, aimed to protect the US shrimp industry. The bill was not ratified during a Senate meeting in May and US senators have been instructed to conduct a public hearing before proposing the bill again at the next Senate meeting. “The US is the largest export market for Thai shrimp. If the US passes this bill, the Thai shrimp industry would be directly effected as some areas in Thailand have not yet been able to clear up the EMS problem,” Pichalai said. READ MORE
 
AMERICAS
 
Mangrove Reforestation area in Guatemala, on July 26^th Commemoration of International Day for the Mangrove

GUATEMALA – The representative of the estate (or farm) Mangrove Chapan, met with representatives of COGMANGLAR in Champerico Redmanglar and to present a proposal on mangrove ecosystem conservation. The farm consists of several blocks of mangrove and there is concern about the problem of logging because this area is close to the communities of the municipality of Champerico and tends to be threatened.  For the commemoration of the July 26 International Day for the Mangrove, the farm Chapan, which supports the reforestation in degraded areas, offered its help. July 23^rd was coordinated as a seed collection day in the Manchón Guamuchal. Fishermen and workers of the estate, also accompanied farm owner Mr. Ricardo Montes assisted in the collection of the more than nine thousand catkins for reforestation. READ MORE
 
Marvelous Mangroves curriculum workshop held
BANGLADESH – A workshop held on July 18-20^th of July in Bangladesh has paved the way to introducing MAP’s Marvelous Mangrove Curriculum to local schools. The workshop hosted by Humanitywatch included background of the curriculum, translation and adaptation for use by local communities. Humanitywatch chief executive Hasan Mehedi welcomed all participants and greeted MAP education director Martin A. Keeley on his visit to Bangladesh and invited Keeley to take initiative of development of a Marvelous Mangrove (MM) curriculum. He gave a brief description on the Sundarbans, the largest single tract mangrove forest in the world. He also described the relationship between Mangrove Action Project (MAP) and Humanitywatch.  The event, held in Kulna at the CSS Ava Center, gathered some 20 education participants to learn about MAP’s award winning Mangrove education project. READ MORE
 
Mangroves could survive sea-level rise if protected

USA – Human activity is currently a bigger threat to mangroves, and the natural defenses they provide against storm surges and other coastal disasters, than rising sea levels, according to a new study. Mangroves, which provide a natural coastal defense to communities around the world, may be able to withstand a future rise in sea levels far more than previously thought, scientists have found. Their report should serve to allay fears that many mangrove areas could be lost in the coming decades as sea levels go up because of global warming. It comes, however, with a cautionary note: The authors, who have carried out a rare and detailed survey of how mangroves adapt to their environment, also argue that it is vital that they are managed and conserved so that they can continue to provide this protection. READ MORE
 
Mangroves can cope with sea level rise by increasing soil height
USA – A new report by The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International shows that mangroves can adapt to rising sea levels by building up soils in some locations, allaying fears that mangroves may be lost as sea levels rise. This is important because mangroves provide risk reduction services against coastal hazards such as waves and storm surges. Mangroves can protect human lives and property by reducing the impacts of storm surges and waves. However, a major concern has been that mangroves may be lost as sea levels rise, leaving communities more exposed to coastal hazards. This review conducted by The Nature Conservancy and Wetlands International shows that under some circumstances, mangrove soils can build up at similar rates to local rises in sea level, allowing mangroves to survive in situ. “We need to understand how mangrove soils build up, so that we can maintain suitable conditions for them to do so into the future,” says Nyoman Suryadiputra, Director of Wetlands International Indonesia. “Protecting mangroves is vital for many coastal communities, who rely on them for their livelihoods as well as the coastal defence benefits they provide.” READ MORE
 
Louisiana Agency Sues Dozens of Energy Companies for Damage to Wetlands

USA – Louisiana officials filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against dozens of energy companies, hoping that the courts will force them to pay for decades of damage to fragile coastal wetlands that help buffer the effects of hurricanes on the region. “This protective buffer took 6,000 years to form,” the state board that oversees flood-protection efforts for much of the New Orleans area argued in court filings, adding that “it has been brought to the brink of destruction over the course of a single human lifetime.” The suit, which was denounced by Louisiana’s governor, Bobby Jindal, was filed in civil district court in New Orleans by the board of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East. The board argues that the energy companies, including BP and Exxon Mobil, should be held responsible for fixing damage done by cutting thousands of miles of oil and gas access and pipeline canals through the wetlands. It alleges that the network functioned “as a mercilessly efficient, continuously expanding system of ecological destruction,” killing vegetation, eroding soil and allowing salt water into freshwater areas. READ MORE
 
EUROPE
 
Mangroves and sustainable development – call for proposals
NETHERLANDS – Open call by UNESCO, the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape initiative of Conservation International (CI) and the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS) to present papers for a publication on mangroves and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The main objective: to give visibility to successful experiences of mangroves use, e.g. the integrated management and restoration of these ecosystems, sustainable development processes of the communities living in regions of mangroves and making use of their natural resources, biodiversity conservation processes, processes to revert deforestation and land use change, valuation of ecosystem services, participatory investigation-action, governance and participatory management, environmental education, community-based tourism and ecotourism, climate change, capture and storage of carbon dioxide, use of indicators, gender perspective, the voice of the youth, cultural expressions, strengthening of cultural identity and traditional knowledge related to mangroves, legal protection of these ecosystems and responsible consumption of mangrove products. READ MORE (Original in Spanish)
 

LAST WORD
 
Announcing Closing Date for Entries for MAP’s  2014 Children’s Mangrove Art Calendar! Please send your artwork now! Here are some photos from some of this year’s happy contestants from Malaysia:

~ 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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