Sonneratia alba - Pedada Bay (© Iloilo)
Seafront Mangrove Planting
Local communities are empowered to protect remaining mangrove forests using science-based methods for communities to rehabilitate lost forest sites. To successfully rehabilitate the mangrove belt, it is crucial to use the right species for the respective sites in the upper and middle intertidal. Sites are selected during neap tides and young mangroves are protected by breakwaters to ensure their steady growth. For the plantings, wildlings are used that are either directly transplanted (to nearby sites if plants are big enough) or being reared in nurseries (for distant sites and/or if plants are small).
- Sufficient scientific knowledge about mangrove processes or a mangrove area
- Translation of such knowledge into science-based protocols
- Organized, empowered local communities
Mangrove species distribution and growth in a given setting are influenced by tidal elevation and flooding regime, salinity pattern, substrate and other factors. With each species requiring a particular set of environmental conditions, species selection in any restoration effort depends primarily on the species match for the physical characteristics of a given site, and secondarily on the objectives for mangrove restoration. One of the main challenges was therefore to overcome the persistent popularity of convenient, but wrong, mangrove planting practices among local government officials and nongovernmental organizations, and replace them with scientific-based planting practices. Furthermore, empowering local communities in protection and rehabilitation is the key to effective mangrove management.