Increasing the resilience of alternative local ecosystems that can provide habitats to lobster species
Whilst it is not easily possible to recover the sand bank habitat, it is possible to rehabilitate the local mangroves that have been in decline in recent years, in order to increase the capacity of habitat in the local mangrove to support the lobster in their early developmental stages. The latter has been concentrated on 480 hectares near the lobster fishing communities, and has as its goal the aim of reinvigorating the populations of maturing lobster going out to sea and thus increase these populations’ adaptive capacity in the face of climate hazards.
To count with research centres’ support and scientific guidance about the causes of the mangrove degradation, and practicable solutions to reversing this degradation; To count with economic and human resources to be able to employ local communities to carry out the rehabilitation work; To count with local community support to maintain the improvements that have been achieved
Communication & alliance building between the responsible government agencies, NGOs, and academic research centres is crucial for effective mangrove rehabilitation in complex situations in which mangroves are suffering from multiple climate, anthropogenic and hydrological hazards; Without good scientific guidance, it is possible to rehabilitate mangrove ecosystems in a manner that is sustainable, and benefits local livelihoods; Creating and maintaining channels within the mangrove system for facilitating natural flows between salt- and freshwater sources is a key component for reducing salinization problems, as well as making sure that a healthy mangrove is maintained; It is important to maintain the awareness that climate change not only presents direct risks to communities and ecosystems, but also highlights existing structural weaknesses in the social-economic and ecological system.