The Workshop took place over four days of training in Kyauk Phyu, a coastal town in Rakhine State, Myanmar, where mangrove ecosystems have been extensively altered by fuelwood extraction, embankment construction associated with Kari rice cultivation, aquaculture development, and changes to natural tidal hydrology. These pressures have weakened coastal protection, fisheries productivity, and local livelihoods. The four-day workshop brought together approximately 45 participants from mangrove-dependent communities, the Forest Department, local NGO’s, and a UNDP representative, creating a cross-sector learning environment grounded in local coastal management challenges.

The training combined classroom sessions with intensive field-based learning at multiple sites near Kyauk Phyu. Practical exercises were conducted at a degraded former mangrove area within a local river estuary affected by dykes and water control structures, as well as at a relatively undisturbed reference mangrove site located across the estuary. At these locations, participants carried out transect surveys, assessed hydrology, soil conditions, salinity, and species zonation, and practiced measuring elevation relative to sea level. Additional hands-on activities included mapping exercises around the Ramawady Hall training venue and group analysis of large-scale restoration scenarios based on former aquaculture ponds. Case studies from Thailand provided comparative examples of community-based mangrove management and hydrology-driven restoration. Overall, the workshop strengthened participants’ practical understanding of mangrove dynamics and reinforced the value of natural regeneration, field-based assessment, and community participation as foundations for sustainable mangrove restoration.