Coastal belts of mangroves contribute to security by reducing the impacts of severe storms and cyclones. Mangroves also provide food and building materials, especially to poor people. We work towards reversing the rapid loss of mangrove forests and promoting a sustainable use of this invaluable ecosystem.
The problem
Many mangrove belts along the coasts of Latin America, Africa and Asia are severely degraded or completely gone. Shrimp farms in Asia, in particular, have already cleared large tracts of mangroves and coral reefs along the coastal and marine environment. Urban development, pollution, over-harvesting of wood in the coastal forests and dynamite fishing are also taking their toll.
Mangrove forests have some very important values. They protect coastal zones against erosion and extreme weather. They provide key nursery areas for fish and homes to other animal species, including waterbirds and an abundance of sea life. They also provide the source of livelihood for millions of people living along the tropical coastal areas. Read more on Mangroves
What we do
- We support local communities in West Africa (Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone), Asia (India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand) and Latin America (Panama) in restoring their mangrove forests. We use the “Bio-rights” microcredit scheme to enable the communities to conduct the work.
- Together with research institutes and other NGO’s , we conduct large-scale research in Indonesia to generate facts on the importance of mangroves for coastal protection and the maintenance of fish stocks, and use this information to advocate for effective mangrove conservation.
- We advocate for incentives to conserve and restore mangrove ecosystems through silvofisheries approach. Currently, we work towards certification of sustainable shrimp farms in Indonesia.
- We work towards promoting the use of ‘hybrid-engineering’ measures in coastal protection policies
- We aim to improve the coastal resource management policies in key mangrove countries such as Indonesia.