MAP-Asia Participants in China Mangrove Workshop
Jim Enright, MAP-Asia’s
Coordinator, recently attended a “Regional Workshop on
Catalyzing Incentives for Sustainable Management and Restoration of Mangroves
in Asia and the Pacific”, Oct.29-31, 2012 held in the
coastal city of Beihai, in the south part of Guangxi, China. The workshop was sponsored and organized by
Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) based in Beijing,
China which is
an initiative of APEC economies launched in 2008 to enhance capacity building
and information exchange in the forestry sector in the region. This was the first opportunity for MAP to
meet and dialogue with APFNet which adds to our regional network. The workshop was by co-sponsored by IUCN,
PEMSEA, ITTO, TNC and WWF. Workshop
participants came from China,
Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, Germany, UK,
and Mexico.
Coordinator, recently attended a “Regional Workshop on
Catalyzing Incentives for Sustainable Management and Restoration of Mangroves
in Asia and the Pacific”, Oct.29-31, 2012 held in the
coastal city of Beihai, in the south part of Guangxi, China. The workshop was sponsored and organized by
Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet) based in Beijing,
China which is
an initiative of APEC economies launched in 2008 to enhance capacity building
and information exchange in the forestry sector in the region. This was the first opportunity for MAP to
meet and dialogue with APFNet which adds to our regional network. The workshop was by co-sponsored by IUCN,
PEMSEA, ITTO, TNC and WWF. Workshop
participants came from China,
Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, Germany, UK,
and Mexico.
Figure1: Jim
Enright, MAP Asia Coordinator,
presenting at APFNet mangrove workshop in
Beihai, China.
Enright, MAP Asia Coordinator,
presenting at APFNet mangrove workshop in
Beihai, China.
Jim
presented on “MAP’s Experience Using Ecological Mangrove
Restoration: Re-establishing a more biodiverse and resilient
coastal ecosystem with community participation” The presentation was well
received and for many participants the EMR methodology was very new as most
projects involve the use of plantations and afforestation on the extensive
mudflats in China. There is not a great deal of mangrove forest habitat
remaining in China,
and presently less than 23,000 ha. During
the 1980s shrimp farming was the cause of 97% of mangrove loss.
presented on “MAP’s Experience Using Ecological Mangrove
Restoration: Re-establishing a more biodiverse and resilient
coastal ecosystem with community participation” The presentation was well
received and for many participants the EMR methodology was very new as most
projects involve the use of plantations and afforestation on the extensive
mudflats in China. There is not a great deal of mangrove forest habitat
remaining in China,
and presently less than 23,000 ha. During
the 1980s shrimp farming was the cause of 97% of mangrove loss.
The
final day of the workshop was a field trip which was organized and facilitated
by the Guangxi Mangrove Research Center (GMRC).
The field trip included visits to GMRC, to the new city of Fangchenggang
under construction where a few ha of a dense stand of mangroves have been
conserved and incorporated the Marine Cultural Park, as a result of a lot of
lobbying and protesting by environmental activists. The highlight of the trip was to see a new
concept called Mangrove Eco-farming at the Beilun Estuary Nature Reserve which
involves an underground piped water system.
The first trails of this unique eco-farming system were undertaken by
GMRC in 2007-08 to raise fish, clams and crabs.
The system is quite expensive with the infrastructure costing between $19,000-28,000
per ha. The benefits are the system uses native species, no artificial feeding,
has high survival rate of animals, a high recapture rate with a higher economic
return from 750~1125kg/ha/year of seafood.
The eco-farming system would probably only be applicable in China where the mangroves are sparse and allows
for the excavation to install the piping without damaging the mangrove roots
and China
has a high end market for local fresh seafood.
final day of the workshop was a field trip which was organized and facilitated
by the Guangxi Mangrove Research Center (GMRC).
The field trip included visits to GMRC, to the new city of Fangchenggang
under construction where a few ha of a dense stand of mangroves have been
conserved and incorporated the Marine Cultural Park, as a result of a lot of
lobbying and protesting by environmental activists. The highlight of the trip was to see a new
concept called Mangrove Eco-farming at the Beilun Estuary Nature Reserve which
involves an underground piped water system.
The first trails of this unique eco-farming system were undertaken by
GMRC in 2007-08 to raise fish, clams and crabs.
The system is quite expensive with the infrastructure costing between $19,000-28,000
per ha. The benefits are the system uses native species, no artificial feeding,
has high survival rate of animals, a high recapture rate with a higher economic
return from 750~1125kg/ha/year of seafood.
The eco-farming system would probably only be applicable in China where the mangroves are sparse and allows
for the excavation to install the piping without damaging the mangrove roots
and China
has a high end market for local fresh seafood.
Figure 2:
Unique Eco-farming system developed by GMRC
Unique Eco-farming system developed by GMRC
The workshop also presented
an opportunity for MAP-Asia to meet partners PMCR from Cambodia and MSN of
Myanmar and representatives from groups in China who have had some past communications
with MAP over the years, including representatives from the Zhanjiang Mangrove
National Nature Reserve (ZMNNR)
of Guangdong Province and China Mangrove Conservation Network (CMCN) based at Xiamen University,
Fujian. MAP’s Education Director,
Martin Keeley, is now in the process of working with ZMNNR to have the
Marvelous Mangrove Curriculum introduced into the school system in area of the
reserve and has plans to give a training workshop for CMCN at Xiamen
in Dec. 2012. The APFNet workshop was
also a great opportunity for MAP-Asia to make a number of new contracts.
an opportunity for MAP-Asia to meet partners PMCR from Cambodia and MSN of
Myanmar and representatives from groups in China who have had some past communications
with MAP over the years, including representatives from the Zhanjiang Mangrove
National Nature Reserve (ZMNNR)
of Guangdong Province and China Mangrove Conservation Network (CMCN) based at Xiamen University,
Fujian. MAP’s Education Director,
Martin Keeley, is now in the process of working with ZMNNR to have the
Marvelous Mangrove Curriculum introduced into the school system in area of the
reserve and has plans to give a training workshop for CMCN at Xiamen
in Dec. 2012. The APFNet workshop was
also a great opportunity for MAP-Asia to make a number of new contracts.
Jim was surprised and happy
to meet Dr. Weidong Han, Professor at Zhanjiang Ocean
University at the
workshop. Dr. Han had hosted MAP’s
Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto and Jim on their first exposure visit to the
mangroves of the Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong
in 2003.
to meet Dr. Weidong Han, Professor at Zhanjiang Ocean
University at the
workshop. Dr. Han had hosted MAP’s
Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto and Jim on their first exposure visit to the
mangroves of the Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong
in 2003.
Figure 3: A
happy reunion between Jim Enright of MAP
and Dr. Weidong Han of Ocean University,
after almost a decade.
happy reunion between Jim Enright of MAP
and Dr. Weidong Han of Ocean University,
after almost a decade.