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MAP Joins Climate Action call for Climate Partnerships
GLOBAL - A new effort to mobilize the world to stop mangrove deforestation and to undertake a massive restoration effort is underway. The goal of the Alliance is to expand overall extent of mangrove forests 20 percent by 2030. WWF, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Wetlands International (and now Mangrove Action Project) have joined together to take up this challenge. And that list is growing. The Global Mangrove Alliance was born of the belief that a renewed effort is needed across multiple sectors and geographies to give mangroves their due, and to massively scale and accelerate conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. The know-how exists; it is the will and interest to act that needs bolstering. The Paris agreement and its focus on developing country-by-country plans to reduce carbon emissions is a new moment that will allow us to both accelerate existing work to protect and restore mangroves while generating and funneling significant new global investment. If we can generate enough momentum to accomplish these ambitious aims, we can improve the well-being of tens of millions of people and revitalize critical coastal ecosystems. READ MORE AFRICA Parks and Wildlife plants mangrove along Bintang Bolong GAMBIA - The Department of Parks and Wildlife, in collaboration with Sahel Wetland and communities of Kanlagi Jifarong, Bondali and Brikama Ndinding, recently conducted a two-day mangrove planting in various parts of Bintang Bolong estuary. The Department of Parks and Wildlife technical team supervised the planting. Speaking at the event, Kawsu Jammeh of Parks and Wildlife said while they are planting mangrove to restore biodiversity within it they must also recognised as conservations specialist to provide landing and feeding areas for wading water birds and habitat for mud crabs. According to Mr Jammeh, The Gambia has quiet and good representative birds, reptiles, butterflies, insects, fisheries and mammals that could be attractive to tourists. “There is no more stock you can find anywhere except in and around protected areas,” he said. “We do not have to wait until the forest disappears completely,” he said, adding that they must endeavour to restore the wetland because they need healthy environment to continue to support the necessary goods and produce for the wellbeing of the future generation. VIEW SOURCE Flooding is going to get a lot worse in Nigeria NIGERIA - Earlier this year heavy rains and thunderstorms caused havoc in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic nerve centre and one of Africa’s most populous cities. Residents woke up in many parts of the city to find their streets and homes flooded and their property, including cars and other valuables, submerged. Some of the worst flooding in recent memory happened five years ago in March 2012 when 32 of Nigeria’s 36 states were affected, 24 severely. More than 360 people were killed and almost two million people were displaced. The seriousness of the flooding was attributed to a combination of two events: very heavy local rainfall and the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in nearby Cameroon. What’s complicated the situation for Lagos is that many parts of the city were originally low-lying mangrove swamps and wetlands, which have been reclaimed and settled, mostly by poorer communities and more recently through concerted efforts by the government. READ MORE ASIA Community-based ecological mangrove restoration against coastal hazards THAILAND - Thailand has experienced a rapid loss of coastal mangroves due to a range of natural and anthropogenic factors. Shrimp aquaculture has been attributed as the largest single cause of mangrove loss in Thailand and South-east Asia. Clearance of mangroves has now left many coastal communities exposed to natural hazards like cyclones, storm surges, and tsunami. Increased salt intrusion is also affecting fresh water supplies. Currently abandoned ponds dominate large coastal areas and without the protective services of mangrove forests, the coastal communities are very vulnerable to natural hazards. EPIC is implementing Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) in two coastal sites in Thailand. CBEMR is a mangrove restoration technique that emerged in response to other type of restoration that have failed for example monoculture plantation of mangroves. It is also an innovative approach to natural resource management and combines scientific research, situational analyses and local knowledge for the integration of ecological restoration, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and livelihood diversification. READ MORE Tree-planting drones can sow 100,000 seeds a day MYANMAR - The much-hyped promise of a drone-driven future—where drones bring us food, take our selfies, and even serve as taxis—is not nearly as cool as this Myanmar community’s drone-driven present. A group of villagers along the country’s Irrawaddy River will soon use drones to plant a million new mangrove trees in an effort to restore the area’s natural ecosystem. After several years of planting the mangroves manually, the villagers and nonprofit Worldview International Foundation are teaming up with drones and pilots from BioCarbon Engineering to seed an additional 600 acres of land—freeing up their time to tend to saplings and more mature trees. The drones have two jobs in the planting. First, they fly over the land, mapping the terrain and collecting information about its topography and soil. This data is then processed by an algorithm to determine where to plant and what species of tree would thrive. Then, another set of drones is each given a batch of specially designed seed pods and sent out. Flying low over the ground, the planter drones follow instructions determined by the data on where to go and when to fire a seed pod into the ground. They’re accurate to within centimeters. READ MORE Mangroves: A Star Player In The Coastal Protection Game PHILIPPINES - Mangroves are being lost around the world—often converted to shrimp aquaculture that provides short-term gains for local economies. In just a few years, these ponds become diseased and are abandoned. And the lasting value of those mangroves—including protecting communities from flood—is lost forever. The Nature Conservancy recently partnered with World Bank, the Philippines Government and the University of Cantabria to determine the value of mangroves in the Philippines for risk reduction. With the Bank, we developed guidelines and applied tools developed by the engineering and insurance sectors to determine the value of benefits from mangroves and other critical coastal habitats, like reefs. We also applied state of the art hydrodynamic and economic models to show how critical these habitats are. The findings are significant. READ MORE AMERICAS Forest And Protected Areas Of Trinidad And Tobago With the boast of being home to the oldest Forest Reserve in the Western Hemisphere – the Main Ridge Forest Reserve in Tobago, which was declared in 1764 – Trinidad and Tobago has demonstrated a history of taking strategic steps to protecting its natural heritage. Up to 2015, some seventy-five (75) areas were provided legal protection under various Acts, and some 100 other sites inventoried for designation as heritage sites across both islands. From that year, steps were taken to review these designations and institute a new regulatory framework and management system for protected areas, by piloting an approach in six pilot protected areas. This website was developed during that process, and is the repository of all current information on designated Protected Areas outlined in the National Protected Areas Policy of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (2011). The site will be continually updated to serve as an important resource for dissemination of accurate and up-to-date information on these sites. We hope you enjoy your visit. READ MORE OCEANA Mangroves and their value to Samoa SOMOA - Mangroves in Samoa have been threatened due to increasing coastal population, development and settlement. In the last five years, the Mangrove Ecosystems for Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihood Project in Samoa published some key findings in their work on one particular site, Le Asaga Bay in Samoa. According to the report Le Asaga Bay has the third biggest mangrove cover and the biggest mangrove estuary of all mangrove stands in Samoa. It also affords the most essential ecosystem goods and services which highly contribute to upholding the environment and sustaining people’s livelihoods. Such a significant area in a fairly healthy condition deserves effective management which includes sustainable utilization of resources. Even that need is urgent with the impacts of climate change that can be attributed to prolonged spring tides submerging and stressing the mangroves, eroding the coast and gradually reducing mangrove cover. According to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Samoa hosts the largest intact mangrove forest forest in all of Polynesia. READ MORE GLOBAL Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities GLOBAL - EPIC is a five year initiative that is promoting the implementation of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction through 5 Case studies in Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Nepal, Senegal and Thailand. The project is contributing to community resilience by: • Documenting scientific evidence • Building capacities to understand vulnerabilities and take action by using best practices • Promoting effective policies for integrated approaches to disasters, climate change and environment management. During the past few decades the number of disasters and their impacts on communities worldwide has increased steadily. With climate change, this trend is set to continue, with an expected increase in the number of extreme weather events. Healthy ecosystems can be important allies in reducing risk and increasing resilience for people and the environment. READ MORE Nominations sought for Wangari Maathai Forest Champion Award 2017 GLOBAL - The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) is awarding one extraordinary individual for improving our forests and the lives of people who depend on them! The CPF launched the first Wangari Maathai Award in 2012 to honour and commemorate the impact of this extraordinary woman who championed forest issues around the world. In 2017, the CPF will award another individual for her/his outstanding achievements for forests. Applicants should be nominated by a third party. Nominees may be persons, living or recently deceased, who have made exceptional contributions to forests. The awardee will receive a cash prize of USD20,000 along with international recognition of the outstanding contributions to preserve, restore and sustainably manage forests and to raise awareness of the key role forests play in supporting local communities, rural livelihoods, women and the environment. Professional and research contributions will only be considered if they are conducted outside of normal work-related responsibilities. Applications received from a nominee’s kin or business partner are not eligible for consideration. Applications related to grassroots initiatives are particularly encouraged. The closing date for receipt of nominations is 31 August 2017. READ MORE Recently I learnt of a plan to destroy mangroves in New Zealand. A bill is before Government to authorize the legal destruction of NZ's mangrove resources. The plan is dressed up as "management".The theme of this is not management.It is eradication. The driving forces behind this plan seem to be marinas and boats. The eco-economics of mangrove resources such as their outstandingly important role in protecting valuable dairy farm land from inundation: in the Hauraki region of NZ,we have mangrove stands which protect the stop banks which,themselves, seek to protect low lying farmlands. In addition, these mangroves sustain coastal fisheries. I have been doing the science associated with the wisdom of our mangroves,unispecific ecosystems of Avicennia marina, since 1969 and are shocked at the whole idea.I have a paper on the economic importance of NZ mangroves ( 1976) published by the (then) National Environment Council in which the eco-engineering values of these Hauraki mangroves was strongly stated and respected by local environmental engineers. A move to remove mangrove vegetation along the lines advocated by this bill before Government would place New Zealand, a developed country, in start contrast to the so-called developing nations like Thailand who place a high value on these eco-economic multi-functional assets. I feel that it is my duty to share this unwanted News Flash with MAP ! Prof Gordon S.Maxwell, FRSB,FLS and Life member, ISME. Prof Gordon S. Maxwell FSB, FLS gmaxnz@ihug.co.nz |
ACTION ALERTSWangari Maathai Forest Champion Award-The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) is awarding one extraordinary individual for improving our forests and the lives of people who depend on them! The closing date for receipt of nominations is 31 August 2017. READ MORE
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The MAP News |
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FEATURE STORY
Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project has been crying out for 25 years to help stop the needless destruction of mangrove ecosystems. We welcome the renewed energy of The Global Mangrove Alliance in recognizing the important role mangroves play in preserving and protecting the Earth’s fragile balance of life. We invite them to join us in lessons learned from a quarter century of active environmental restoration.
Ecological underdogs vital to defense of coastlines GLOBAL - The Global Mangrove Alliance is a new effort to mobilize the world to stop mangrove deforestation and to undertake a massive restoration effort. The goal of the Alliance is to expand overall extent of mangrove forests 20 percent by 2030. WWF, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Wetlands International have joined together to take up this challenge. And that list is growing. The Global Mangrove Alliance was born of the belief that a renewed effort is needed across multiple sectors and geographies to give mangroves their due, and to massively scale and accelerate conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. The know-how exists; it is the will and interest to act that needs bolstering. The Paris agreement and its focus on developing country-by-country plans to reduce carbon emissions is a new moment that will allow us to both accelerate existing work to protect and restore mangroves while generating and funneling significant new global investment. If we can generate enough momentum to accomplish these ambitious aims, we can improve the well-being of tens of millions of people and revitalize critical coastal ecosystems. READ MORE ASIA Mangroves vital for environmental decontamination INDONESIA - Mangrove trees, particularly their leaf litter, filter copper out of soil and water in Indonesia. Grey mangrove trees, Avicennia marina, filter heavy metals out of the surrounding soil and water. A new study from Indonesia has found that their leaf litter accumulates the most copper, followed by leaves and then roots. Researchers from Universitas Diponegoro analysed copper concentrations in a mangrove forest in Tapak Tuguerjo, an area along the northern coast of Java, Indonesia. The forest is downstream from a river polluted by a nearby factory. Copper concentrations in seawater samples from the study area ranged from 0.02 milligrams per litre (mg/L) to 0.05 mg/L; as much as six times the 0.008 mg/L maximum permissible level for marine biota set by the Indonesian Ministry of Envi-ronment. Over the span of 12 weeks, the team collected samples of water, soil, roots, young leaves and leaf litter (fallen leaves). After drying and grinding the plant material, they analysed its copper content using atomic absorption spectroscopy. READ MORE Explore the unexpected beauty of Sri Lanka's mangroves SRI LANKA - Tourism in Sri Lanka -- the tropical island nation just a stone's throw from the tip of southern India -- is on an upswing, thanks to thousands of miles of sugar-sand coastline, lush interiors dotted with tea plantations and the mystique of a place that's still relatively undiscovered. And while the country's pristine beaches, not yet overrun with tourists or towering condos, draw budget and luxury travelers alike from around the world, a different kind of coastal tableau -- shallow, shore-hugging waters where mangrove forests grow -- is not only worth exploring, but a matter of national attention. At Negombo, a laid-back beach town roughly 20 miles north of the country's capital, Colombo, tours of the area's wetlands start across the street from the Muthurajawela Visitor Centre, in the gray-green waters of the Dutch Canal. READ MORE Protecting mangroves and fish stocks from dams and deforestation BANGLADESH - The impact of dams on the diversity of fish is a telling example of the unintended consequences of human activity. Building dams and other hydrological barriers affects mangrove forests by choking off sediment loading, while increasing nutrient pollution. Some of the impacts of these barriers on fish diversity are set out in a recent study by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a Bangalore-based research organisation. The study compared the different species found upstream and downstream of dams. As this can depend on a number of factors — agriculture, deforestation, urbanisation and location — the study separates all factors to extract just the impact of the hydrological barriers and found that the impact on the number of species is felt most immediately downstream. It also found that the recovery of species numbers downstream is enhanced by an increase in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, but hampered by an increase in alkalinity. READ MORE Two of Mumbai’s mangrove forests on list of 12 unique wetlands in India INDIA - The Mangrove Society of India (MSI) has put two of Mumbai region’s mangroves — Airoli and Vikhroli wetlands — among 12 unique mangrove forests in the country. Mangrove forests grow in creeks, estuaries, bays and lagoons and in inter-tidal areas – area between the high tide and the low tide. Their ecosystem is believed to have evolved around 114 million years back in tropical and subtropical regions and India has 3% (4,740 sq km) of the world’s mangrove cover. The unique mangroves located along India’s 7,516-km coastline are in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The world’s largest mangrove forests in Sunderbans, West Bengal, are also featured in the list. The list was released by the MSI and the Goa state biodiversity board at the National Mangrove Conference in Dona Paula, Goa recently. Maharashtra is the only state to have a dedicated cell protecting its mangrove cover. READ MORE AMERICAS Business owners in top Belize destination want increased mangrove protections BELIZE – Walking the shore of San Pedro provides a solid picture of the tension between natural resources and the economy in this, the top tourist town in coastal Belize. White coral sand gives way to several hundred feet of stunningly deep blue water out to where Caribbean waves strike the Mesoamerican Reef, the world’s second longest barrier reef, which stretches from Honduras in the south to its Mexican terminus to the north. Just below swooping frigatebirds stands a phalanx of hotels, ranging from funky and low slung to sleek, new, and relatively tall. Bars, restaurants and dive shops elbow right up to the water’s edge, too, where one can sit in a plastic chair drinking local rum while dangling your feet in the warm tide at establishments with names like “Sandy Toes.” But walk north along the beachfront just a little ways and your path is diverted away from the water by a wiry stand of mangrove trees growing in the gentle waves. This mangrove belongs to yet another open-air bar, La Choza, and reminds one of what this whole area once looked like. READ MORE Mexico launches pioneering scheme to insure its coral reef MEXICO - A stretch of coral reef off Mexico is the testing ground for a new idea that could protect fragile environments around the world: insurance. The reef, off the coast of Cancún, is the first to be protected under an insurance scheme by which the premiums will be paid by local hotels and government, and money to pay for the repair of the reef will be released if a storm strikes. Coral reefs offer a valuable buffer against storm damage from waves but their condition has deteriorated in recent years, the result of human exploitation and destruction of the reefs, as well as climate change, plastic waste and the acidification of the oceans. READ MORE History Made In Bimini, Government Are You Listening? BAHAMAS - ON July 14, history was made in North Bimini. On this sleepy little island with a total population of barely 3000, more than 200 people marched from Paradise Point to Resorts World Bimini, holding placards high and their heads even higher. Their demands were selfless and supported by experts, conservationists and those who care about the marine environment from around the world – stop the wanton destruction of Bimini’s fragile environment and put in place measures to protect what is left. To understand how significant and historic this was and what the people who participated are crying out for we need to first appreciate the extreme unlikeliness of an organised march in Bimini. First, the historic event that took equal doses of energy, organisation, frustration and anger took place on Bimini, a place where you would be hard-pressed to find any travel piece that did not describe the tiny island in the sun as sleepy or laid-back. This is not a college town nor a city given to uprisings. This was a march driven by a single unifying cry – to save the island that those who are fortunate enough to live there love, and those who visit on a regular basis think of as their second home. READ MORE GLOBAL Mangrove Day GLOBAL - Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem: Coastal mangroves are among the most threatened ecosystems on earth. Current estimates indicate that up to 67% of mangroves have been lost to date, and nearly all unprotected mangroves could perish over the next 100 years. The stakes are high, because mangrove ecosystems provide benefits and services that are essential for life. From advancing food security, sustaining fisheries and forest products and offering protection from storms, tsunamis and sea level rise to preventing shoreline erosion, regulating coastal water quality and providing habitats for endangered marine species — the list is long on the importance of mangrove ecosystems. This includes the unique role that they play in sequestering and storing significant amounts of coastal blue carbon from the atmosphere and ocean, crucial for mitigating climate change. UNESCO is drawing on all of its strengths — through its Man and the Biosphere Programme, its International Hydrological Programme, its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Programme — to protect mangrove ecosystems. This action reaches across the world, from the Bosque de Paz Transboundary Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador and Peru and the Delta de Saloum Biosphere Reserve in Senegal to the Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark in Malaysia. READ MORE Happy World Mangrove Day. On this special day, I would like to draw your attention to a discussion paper ‘Mangrove Restoration: to plant or not to plant?’ that raises attention for the multifunctional multiple benefits of the ‘Ecological Mangrove Restoration approach’. It is now available in English, Spanish, Khmer, Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai and Indonesian. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of hectares of mangroves have been planted. Unfortunately, the majority of planting efforts fail as planted seedlings die. Even if seedlings survive, the benefits of planting mangroves for increased community resilience are questionable. The Ecological Mangrove Restoration approach focuses on creating the right biophysical and socio-economic conditions for mangroves to grow back naturally. Compared to planting efforts, ‘natural regeneration’ of mangroves leads to higher survival rates, and results in a more biodiverse, resilient and productive mangrove forest, enhancing community livelihoods and reducing disaster risk. Lessons learnt were compiled by Wetlands International (in collaboration with its partners of the Building with Nature Indonesia programme), Mangrove Action Project, Mangroves for the Future and the IUCN Mangrove Specialist Group (MSG). The mangrove experts encourages NGOs and funding agencies to be more cautious when implementing restoration projects and recommend involving restoration ecologists and experts in flood risk management. I hope the paper is useful to you. Later in the year, French, Filipino and Malaysian versions will be distributed. Download the paper ‘Mangrove Restoration: to plant or not to plant’, available in 7 languages. With best regards, Susanna Tol Senior Communications and Advocacy Officer Wetlands International P.O. Box 471, 6700AL Wageningen, The Netherlands Tel: +31(0)318 660927 www.wetlands.org |
The Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative (ELTI) at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies is pleased to announce our upcoming online training course that will take place from September 25 to November 5, 2017, entitled: Tropical Forest Restoration in Human-Dominated Landscapes VIEW MORE
MAP’s Children’s Calendar artwork deadline extended to Aug 31. We need your art. Shools invited to send late submissions Calling schools, teachers and students! DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUG 31! We invite all school children from tropical and sub-tropical nations, and those who love mangroves, to create art for the 2018 Children's Art Calendar CLICK HERE ACTION ALERTSVOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
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MAP News Issue #594 - March 23, 2024
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