Mangroves are vital for healthy coastal ecosystems in many regions of the world and research and studies are revealing the unique importance of these habitats to the planet. The Mangrove Action Project is dedicated to reversing the degradation and loss of mangrove forest wetlands and their associated coastal ecosystems worldwide. www.mangroveactionproject.org

1. An Overview of MAP’s Activities
and Introduction to Mangroves
by Alfredo Quarto, Executive Director. MAP
Mangrove Action Project
Standing at the Roots of the Sea
Photo Credit : Mac Stone

2. The Sundarbans, Bangladesh
Although once thought of as useless
wastelands, careful study and research has
revealed that mangroves are among the
most important ecosystems on this planet.
Valued for anchoring coastal ecosystems as
well as providing economic and ecosystem
services to humans, mangrove forests are
true treasures. The complexities of these
systems are enormous, and there is still
much to learn. Mangrove forests are highly
interconnected within the ecosystem itself,
but they also make up a transitional zone
between land and ocean, connecting and
supporting both. It is no surprise that
mangroves are called “roots of the sea.”
Photo Credit : NASA Earth Observatory

3. Mangrove forests literally live in two worlds
at once. Growing in the intertidal areas and
estuary mouths between land and sea,
mangroves are comprised of salt-tolerant
tree and other plant species from a range
of plant families. They thrive in intertidal
zones of sheltered tropical shores, islands,
and estuaries. Mangroves have specially
adapted aerial and salt-filtering roots and
salt-excreting leaves which enable them to
occupy the saline wetlands where other plant
life cannot survive.
Healthy Mangrove Ecosystem
Photo Credit : Olivia Pino

4. Mangroves are a critical forest ecosystem,
dominating coastlines in tropical and
subtropical regions of the globe. Coastal
protection is an important function of
mangrove forests, serving as a natural barrier
against tropical storms, and tsunami, and
therefore protecting coastal inhabitants.
Recent experiences of tsunami and major
storms in Southeast Asia and other parts
of the world have shown that mangroves
can and have played important roles in
absorbing and weakening wave energy as
well as preventing damage caused by debris
movement.
Mangrove Interior
Photo Credit : Stanislav Lhota

5. Mangroves are vital for healthy coastal
ecosystems in many regions of the world
and research and studies are revealing the
unique importance of these habitats to the
planet. Although mangrove forests only line
approximately 8% of the world’s coastlines,
they have the ability to sequester far more
carbon per hectare than tropical rainforest,
and in some cases store 5x more than any
of their terrestrial counterparts. This ability
of mangroves to store such large amounts of
carbon is, in part, due to the deep, organic
rich soils in which they thrive.
Mangroves from Below, Colombia
Photo Credit : Alfonso Ortiz

6. Mangrove forests provide homes and shelter
for both diverse marine life and terrestrial
fauna and flora. They are prime nesting and
feeding sites for hundreds of migratory bird
species as well as providing refuge and
nursery grounds for juvenile fish, crabs,
shrimps, mollusks, and other invertebrates.
70-80% of all tropical fish and crustaceans
spend some part of their lives in mangrove
wetlands. Many endangered and threatened
mammals are found here including the
Bengal Tiger, Dugong, Proboscis Monkey
and Fishing Cat.
Proboscis Monkey in the Mangroves
Photo Credit : Tim Laman

7. Mangroves are one of the most productive
ecosystems on the earth. They perform a
variety of useful ecological, bio-physical,
and socio-economic functions, and are
the source of a multitude of benefits to
coastal populations. For local communities,
mangroves provide food, medicines, tannins,
fuel wood, charcoal and construction
materials. For millions of indigenous and
local coastal residents, mangrove forests are
vital for their everyday needs. With better
understanding and education, huge eco-
tourism potentials surface that become
beneficial for the local communities as well
as visitors.
Indigenous Fisherman
Photo Credit : Eitan Haddock

8. Over half the worlds mangrove forests have
been destroyed during the last 100 years
estimated at 32 million hectares (app. 80
million acres). In 2007, less than 15 million
hectares (37 million acres) of mangroves
remain. The current rate of mangrove loss
is approximately 1% per annum (according
to the Food and Agriculture Organization –
FAO), or roughly 150,000 hectares (370,050
acres) of mangrove wetlands lost each year.
Luxury Resorts, Bimini Islands, Bahamas
Photo Credit : Grant Johnson

9. Mangrove forests are naturally resilient,
having withstood severe storms and
changing tides for many millenia. But
until recently, mangrove forests had been
classified by many governments and
industries alike as “wastelands,” or useless
swamps. The need for better protection
is alarming. The International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warning that
more than one in six mangrove species
worldwide are in danger of extinction due to
coastal developments, shrimp aquaculture,
agricultural expansion and unsustainable
tourism.
Construction, Bimini Islands, Bahamas
Photo Credit : Matthew D. Potenski

10. Shrimp aquaculture has been the single
biggest driver of mangrove destruction,
particularly in Southeast Asia. This rapidly
expanding industry poses one of the gravest
threats to the world’s remaining mangrove
forests and the communities they support.
Due to the unsustainable conditions that
foster high levels of disease and pollution,
shrimp ponds often have to be abandoned in
just 3-5 years.
Tanjung Panjang Nature Reserve
Photo Credit : Ben Brown

11. Why Invest in Mangroves video - click to play

12. The Mangrove Action Project is dedicated
to reversing the degradation and loss
of mangrove forest wetlands and their
associated coastal ecosystems worldwide.
Our main goal is to promote the rights of
traditional and indigenous coastal peoples,
including fishers and farmers, to sustainably
manage their coastal environs. At the same
time MAP strives to use the formal education
process to introduce mangrove ecology on a
scientific and social level to students in their
classrooms.
About MAP

13. We are taking a truly grassroots, bottom-
up approach to mangrove conservation and
restoration issues. Our approach involves
and includes the voices of the global South,
local communities, and their partner non-
governmental organizations (NGOs). MAP’s
pro-active 5-pronged approach to long-term
mangrove conservation involves:
Networking
Advocacy
Education
Conservation and Restoration
Sustainable Community-based Development
Our Approach

14. MAP video - click to play

15. Partnering with mangrove forest
communities, grassroots NGOs, researchers,
and local governments to conserve and
restore mangrove forests and related coastal
ecosystems, while promoting community-
based sustainable management of coastal
resources.
Our international network today includes:
over 450 NGOs
300 scientists and academics
60 nations
Our Mission
Photo Credit : Andrea Bonetti

17. MAP was really the only “whistle blower”
back in 1992 that brought mangrove loss /
shrimp farm expansion issues to
international attention. MAP’s early and
ongoing work on this issue, as well as
proactive actions bringing attention to other
unsustainable shoreline development issues,
has inspired a global mangrove conservation
movement. Following the Indian Ocean
tsunami of December 2004, MAP was one
of the first to substantiate that mangrove
loss and degradation were a major factor
contributing to extensive loss of human
lives and property. MAP’s call to restore the
protective greenbelt
buffers that healthy mangrove forests
provide was heard widely and has been
adopted as policy by governments and
international institutions alike.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/networking_advocacy/
Networking

18. Through the years, MAP has never lost sight
of the imperative to work with and involve
the next generation of decision-makers. They
must have the needed management skills, as
well as personal awareness and appreciation
for mangroves, so that they may become
better stewards of this vital natural resource
base for future generations. MAP has
expanded its education program to include
aspects both interesting and inspirational
for young minds in their attempts to grasp
the fuller significance of the mangrove forest
community. In addition to youth-focused
programs, MAP targets specific audiences
through a variety of educational methods.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/mangrove_curriculum/
Education

19. Mangrove Education video - click to play

20. MAP provides a range of educational
resources for teachers and students to
learn about mangroves. The Marvellous
Mangroves Curriculum is an award-winning
300 page wetlands/environmental resource
guide for both children and adults living
in the tropics and subtropics. The first
curriculum, “Marvellous Mangroves in the
Cayman Islands” was published back in
2000 and has since been adapted, translated
and linked to the local science and national
curriculum of eleven other countries.
Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum

21. The Curriculum provides:
Activities and information about mangroves
Relationships to other tropical coastal
ecosystems
Social, geographical, cultural, economic, and
political perspectives
Guidance in taking scientific measurements
about the health of mangroves
Action-taking activities to help observers
become do-ers
Links to the local and regional science, social
studies and arts curriculum
Teacher Training Workshop, Australia

22. This innovative experiential approach has
the goal of transforming society toward a
positive attitude and respect for mangrove
resources and uses, while preparing the next
generation of decision makers.
By integrating the curriculum with existing
local science, social studies and/or language
arts curricula, we are able to ensure that
the developed materials and teaching
techniques are used in the classroom on a
regular basis.
Preparing next generation of decision-makers

23. This colorful calendar has increased in
popularity since its first publication in 2002.
The 2015 calendar is our 14th edition.
Primary school children from tropical and
sub-tropical nations are invited to participate
in MAP’s international annual contest,
and selected winners are published in the
calendar, which is distributed worldwide to
raise awareness of mangrove forest ecology.
This creative contest aims to promote
appreciation and awareness of mangrove
forests, and to encourage and listen to
creative voices of children living in mangrove
areas.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/childrens-calendar/
International Children’s Art Calendar

24. MAP’s small, US-based headquarters,
provides administrative support and
overall guidance for regional projects in
the global South, while also providing four
essential services to grassroots groups and
proponents of mangrove conservation,
including:
Coordination of a unique international NGO
network and information clearinghouse on
mangrove forests;
Promotion of public awareness of mangrove
forest issues;
Development of technical and financial
support for local NGO projects in the global
South; and,
Broadcasting within developed nations
the basic needs and struggles of Southern
coastal fishing and farming communities
affected by the consumer demands of the
wealthy nations.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/map-action-alerts/
Advocacy
Photo Credit : Olivia Pino

25. Question Your Shrimp video - click to play

26. In March 2009, the Mangrove Action Project
launched its consumer awareness campaign
to expose the environmental damage and
human rights issues related to imported,
farmed shrimp. Shrimp farming, which
pollutes land and waterways, also poses
the single greatest threat to mangrove
forests worldwide. The “Question Your
Shrimp” petition urges consumers to take a
pledge to greatly reduce or eliminate their
consumption of imported shrimp. It is time
we as consumers realize that the price we
pay for shrimp does not account for the true
costs—to the environment and communities
of this destructive industry.
http://questionyourshrimp.com
Question Your Shrimp campaign

27. Bimini’s famed fishing, portrayed in
Hemingway’s novel Islands in the Stream,
could be a romantic relic of the past. By
cutting and filling the mangroves, the Bimini
Bay Resort is destroying fish nurseries and
habitat that will cost the local people their
livelihoods. Save Bimini Islands is one of
many urgent campaigns we are actively
working on.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/campaigns/
Save Bimini Islands campaign
Photo Credit : Grant Johnson

28. Working alongside mangrove ecologists,
local NGOs, and communities, MAP
promotes community-based ‘ecological
– hydrological’ mangrove restoration
(CBEMR) methodology, an economical and
efficient way to mangrove restoration that
follows basic natural processes. This well-
considered model directly engages local
community participation, and community
involvement in the restoration itself as a
central stakeholder and building stewardship
to ensure long-term successful protection of
the restored sites. Reaching far beyond mere
hand planting of one species, as is sadly
typical of mangrove restoration projects,
CBEMR greatly increases the effective
restoration of biodiversity to ecosystem-wide
degraded mangrove forests.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/conservation-restoration/
Conservation and Restoration

29. CBEMR Method video - click to play

30. Natural restoration and/or manual planting
of mangroves utilizing the CBEMR model
is an important tool for international relief
organizations to implement in order to
restore mangroves in a cost effective manner
to counter increased storm surges and
rising seas. MAP has actively rehabilitated
mangroves in Thailand and Indonesia,
as part of post-tsunami recovery, while
consulting on shoreline and mangrove
restoration projects elsewhere. MAP
completed CBEMR training workshops in
Cambodia, El Salvador, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand,
and plans additional workshops where there
is interest.
CBEMR Training, Cambodia

31. The MAP CBEMR Method prioritizes the
restoration of the natural hydrology of
disturbed areas. De-emphasizing capital and
labor intensive direct hand planting, MAP
applies a broader, less expensive, and more
effective restorative approach. Restoring
an area’s natural hydrology will, in many
cases, allow Nature to restore the mangroves
via tidal ebbs and flows, transporting
mangrove propagules (seeds) for the natural
regeneration of a bio-diverse and healthy
forest wetland.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/cbemr/
Successful Mangrove Restoration

32. MAP conducts workshops designed to reach
and serve NGOs and village leaders from
around the globe, facilitating experience
sharing and networking. The workshops
provide a venue for learning about
sustainable methods of mangrove
conservation, restoration, community-based
coastal resource management, and ways to
safely and effectively add to the
socio-economic freedom of coastal peoples.
Since 1999, MAP has led 12 regional IHOF
workshops, involving three or more countries
each, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/ihof-workshops/
In the Hands of the Fishers Workshops
Photo Credit : Eitan Haddock

33. Where ongoing education and environmental
actions can take place, MAP helps support
and advise on functioning
community resource centers (CCRCs) in
Honduras, Sri Lanka (3), India (2), Andaman
Islands, Nigeria, Senegal, Timor Leste,
Thailand (2), Cambodia (2), and Indonesia
(6). MAP is currently developing or planning
other CCRCs in Asia. The CCRCs act as
demonstration sites for community-based
coastal resource management, as well as
education and research centers. They are
located in key geographic, social, or ecologic
crossroads, serving as staging grounds for
workshops and programs, as well as acting
as regional “nodes” for the dissemination of
pertinent information and global networking.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/ccrcs/
Coastal Community Resource Centers

34. Another MAP program focuses on teaching
effective and sustainable ways to utilize
mangrove forest ecosystems, as well as their
associated coral reefs and seagrass beds.
This program is called the MAP “Toolkit”.
The “Toolkit” provides sets of alternative,
locally adaptable, and sustainable economic
development options for mangrove
forests. The program helps foster informal
education programs and add value to natural
resources, which if used sustainably can
supplement local income and sustenance.
http://mangroveactionproject.org/map-toolkit/
MAP’s “Toolkit”

35. Join Us
Photo Credit : Grant Joh
click on social icons

36. At the Edge of the Sea
Photo Credit : Brian Skerry

37. Alfredo Quarto , Executive Director
alfredo@mangroveactionproject.org
Jim Enright, Asia Coordinator
mapasia@mangroveactionproject.org
Martin Keeley, Education Director
mapcurriculum@mangroveactionproject.org
Photo Credit : Matthew D. Potenski
Get in Touch

38. // click for our homepage //
www.mangroveactionproject.org
Version 1 : 27/01/2015
by Leo Thom