Root and Branch Reform: Protecting and Restoring the World's Mangrove Forests 28 June 2021, by Tim Knight

Root and branch reform: Protecting and restoring the world's mangrove forests 28 June 2021, by Tim Knight

Honduras, the vast majority of which comprises three important marine protected areas (MPAs), namely Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, the Cayos Cochinos Marine National Monument and the island of Utila in the Bay Islands National Marine Park. This seascape contains interconnected estuary, lagoon, mangrove, seagrass and coral reef habitat and is part of the globally important Mesoamerican Barrier Reef.

The area harbors a rich diversity of species including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, the Antillean manatee and the little-known and intriguingly named wishiwilly del suampo, a critically Credit: Mwangi Kirubi/TNC endangered spiny-tailed iguana confined to the island of Utila—and one of only two lizard species found exclusively in mangrove swamps.

With the International Day of Forests 2021 already The degradation of mangrove habitat, which a fading memory, perhaps it's time to forget them provides sanctuary for numerous coastal and for another year and shift our attention to the next marine species, particularly juvenile fish, has worthy cause. Well, no. If anything, we need to be contributed to the decline in fisheries that is redoubling our efforts to ensure that they remain threatening the livelihoods of coastal communities permanently in the spotlight, not least the most in Honduras. FFI and our in-country partners have neglected, threatened and undervalued forest type established a mangrove monitoring program and, of all. with community support, we are aiming to reforest an area of mangrove estimated to sequester an Mangroves have never really had their day in the additional 3,000 tons of carbon. There are ongoing sun, despite their crucial importance as efforts to remove an invasive oil palm that poses an coastguards, climate allies and wildlife havens. additional threat to the native trees. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) views mangrove protection and restoration as an integral part of our We are currently exploring opportunities related to global efforts to reverse biodiversity loss and blue carbon across the seascape, which has combat climate change, twin challenges that are potential to expand mangrove cover by inextricably linked. approximately 800 hectares, and seeking support for further coastal restoration to reduce land-based Across our project portfolio, we are striving to impacts on the nearshore environment and build redress the balance, working with in-country resilience to hurricanes, as well as conducting a partners to ensure that mangroves receive the blue carbon feasibility study. attention they deserve. Climate and communities in Cambodia Mangrove-friendly measures in Mesoamerica Cambodia's extensive coastline is fringed by almost FFI works across an 800,000-hectare seascape in 80,000 hectares of mangrove forest, which provide

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natural nurseries for the reef fish and other marine coast. This work focuses on approximately 16,000 life on which numerous coastal communities rely for hectares of mangrove forest in Peam Krasop their livelihoods. FFI's work is focusing on the Wildlife Sanctuary and Koh Kapik Ramsar Site, a establishment of a national network of MPAs, wetland recognized for its international importance building on our critical support for the designation of in helping to build climate resilience. Cambodia's first large-scale MPA in the Koh Rong Archipelago in 2016. Action for an archipelago

As part of our wider marine conservation and As the world's largest archipelago comprising an fisheries management efforts, FFI is working to astounding 17,500 islands, Indonesia is on the front maintain the intact mangroves lying within the MPA line of climate change and heavily dependent on boundary. This is combined with locally led the health of its coastal and marine ecosystems. initiatives to restore previously deforested FFI works across a number of project sites in Aceh, mangrove areas, and four community mangrove West Papua and West Kalimantan to support and nurseries have been established so far within Koh enhance coastal resilience. In order to ensure Rong, paving the way for future scaling up of community buy-in, much of our work in these restoration efforts. locations revolves around the establishment of locally managed marine areas in which resource use is governed by customary laws and practice.

These multiple-use zones also encompass mangrove habitat, and are largely patrolled by communities, with ad hoc support from government officials. In future, we are aiming to help strengthen management of mangrove resources, promote development of more sustainable harvesting methods and support community engagement in local decision-making to enhance coastal resilience.

Protecting mangroves from clearance for charcoal production has been a focus in southern Myanmar, where, in collaboration with local fishing Juvenile grunts sheltering among mangrove roots. Credit: communities and the government, FFI is in the Lorenzo Mittiga/Ocean Image Library process of establishing locally managed marine areas that include mangrove habitat.

Restoration and reef relief in East Africa In support of community-based approaches to the protection and restoration of marine resources, we In northern Kenya, FFI has partnered with the are also investigating the use of sustainable Northern Rangelands Trust and the Nature financing mechanisms including opportunities to Conservancy to support Kiunga and Pate Island secure payment for blue carbon storage and Conservancy in addressing the significant threat sequestration by mangroves and other coastal posed by the unsustainable extraction of forest, thereby increasing resilience to climate mangroves for firewood and poles used in change impacts. construction. Efforts to reduce illegal exploitation have so far focused on increasing the number of FFI is forging new partnerships for mangrove patrols carried out by local rangers. Meanwhile, protection and marine conservation in the far north restoration measures have included the planting of of Koh Kong province, on Cambodia's northern more than 35,000 mangrove seedlings since 2015.

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Following initial success on the island of Pemba, FFI is scaling up its engagement to take an ecosystem-based approach to coastal resource management in northern Tanzania, incorporating 300,000 hectares of coastal forest across Zanzibar and the mainland.

The coral reefs of Pemba, among the most diverse in East Africa, are extremely vulnerable to climate change. FFI is working to promote ecological resilience by reducing direct pressures on the marine environment through the introduction of community fisheries management measures and work to reduce the harvesting of mangrove wood.

When it comes to enlisting the support of natural allies in our global quest to combat the twin climate and biodiversity crises, we need all the friends we can muster. As a living, photosynthesising example of a nature-based solution to our mounting problems, mangroves tick all the right boxes. We neglect them at our peril.

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