IUCN's 2022 Barometer Report he International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published its first Restoration Barometer report , documenting that investments of $26bn across 18 countries have brought 14 million hectares of degraded landscapes – an area about the size of Greece – under restoration. The Restoration Barometer follows the types of actions or interventions outlined in the IUCN Restoration Intervention Typology for Terrestrial Ecosystems. This builds on the IUCN Ecosystem Typology 2.0 which categorizes ecosystem types, as well as the ecosystem categories identified in the UN strategy for the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The results of this report show good news for people and for addressing climate change—through restoration efforts in these 18 countries, 12 million jobs were created and over 145 million tons of carbon were sequestered in 2022. People, communities, institutions and others, including in the case of the Barometer national or sub-national governments, must carefully consider what can and needs to be put in place to best facilitate restoration. The “Laying Foundations” section highlights some of the various approaches that countries are taking to lay the foundations for their restoration efforts, including mangrove restoration under the “mangroves and coasts” ecosystems category. The work of two countries to restore their mangrove ecosystems, and thereby protecting people, biodiversity, and climate, are highlighted in the report and are summarized below. © IUCN Spread over a large number of territories, Mozambique’s mangroves have been reducing at a rate of 18.2km2 per year over the past few decades— largely due to tourism along with urban and industrial development.3 To address this, in May 2020, the national government of Mozambique formally cemented the Mangrove Management Strategy 2020-2024 into policy. 5,000 hectares were targeted for restoration by 2022 through the Strategy and, following its establishment, the Mozambique government introduced the National Mangrove Restoration Program focused on its effective implementation. As of June 2022, over 75% of the 5,000 hectares target had been successfully met, with enhanced momentum to reach 100% by end of year © IUCN Bangladesh is among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change-induced natural disasters such as cyclones and floods,23 with conservative estimates suggesting that 25 million people could be displaced from the coasts by 2050. In 2017, Bangladesh committed to restore 0.75 million hectares under the Bonn Challenge…To monitor the implementation of mangrove restoration and sustainable management of the coastal ecosystems, the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) platform – a collaboration between IUCN and UNDP – is used in Bangladesh. To date, MFF has supported the rehabilitation of 125 hectares of mangroves through its small and medium grants, which support initiatives that provide practical, hands on demonstrations of effective coastal management in action. This has helped provide shelter from storms for nearby villages, as well as habitat and nursery functions for fish and birds. One of the biggest challenges for mangrove restoration is keeping replanted forest alive in the long-term. To address this, the Global Mangrove Alliance will be publishing the Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool in the coming months. The goal of the tool is to further restoration targets around the world by making restoration action more accessible and successful. Subscribe to the Alliance newsletter, below, and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest information on the publication of this tool. Meanwhile, more details on the tool is available in The State of the World’s Mangroves 2022 report.

Wageningen, The Netherlands, 21, September 2022 -The primary source of information on mangroves status and extent –used by scientific bodies, think tanks like the World Resources Institute, project developers and international and regional policymakers, including government bodies, and the UN –the Global Mangrove Watch platform (GMW), has been updated with the latest data to 2020. The GMW platform uses JAXA’s ALOS data, USGS LandSat data, and ESA’s Sentinel-2 data along with local expertise to track the relative gain and loss of mangroves across the planet. It is the only platform of its kind which accurately maps not only loss and gains in mangroves globally, but also which mangroves are protected, how much carbon they can store in both aboveground biomass and mangrove soil, and presents this information in a way that is relevant for policy. It is free for anyone to use. They latest data is featured in the second edition of the State of the World’s Mangroves report which shows that: The trend from 1996 to 2020 is a net decline of 5,245 km2 in mangrove extent, globally. There has been a reduction of 3.4% of our planet’s mangroves since 1996, with the biggest loss occurring in Asia (2813 km2 or 4.6%), Africa (648 km2 or 2.2%) and the Pacific (524 km2 or 3.1%) The most common cause of mangrove loss is clearance and conversion to farmland, agriculture and/ or urbanization 8,183km2of mangroves are considered restorable, of which 2,000km2 are in Indonesia. Full restoration of the entire 8,183km2 could result in an additional 50 billion commercial marine species and benefit the countless communities that rely on fishing for their livelihoods. Restoration of losses since 1996 could safeguard carbon in soil and aboveground biomass equivalent to 1.27gigatons ofCO2 The determination to safeguard mangroves is growing at all levels from international to local. With this new update, Global Mangrove Watch provides an accurate regional and national mangrove baseline for encouraging and supporting the development of policies and management plans for the sustainable use and restoration of mangroves. The platform is being continually updated with new datasets and several tools will soon be launched to support policy development and tracking of restoration progress and success. Senior Scientist at the Nature Conservancy, Mark Spalding, said:“Mangroves’ exceptional ability to store and trap organic carbon in their soil, build coastal resilience, and supply livelihoods for millions of people, while being a cradle of biodiversity, makes them the ultimate forest ecosystem nature-based solution to climate change. Securing the future of mangroves requires all hands on deck, including investment and government support to move from small-to large-scale mangrove conservation and restoration initiatives using expert guidance combined with local support. For policymakers, researchers, conservationists, and land managers the Global Mangrove Watch should be the first point of entry to understand the state of mangroves across our planet.” Lammert Hilarides, Senior Technical Officer at Wetlands International said:“When we see the other mapping tools, for everything from tree cover to fishing, and we consider the incredible value mangroves have in building resilience to climate change, creating a platform that accurately tells the global story of mangroves is a no-brainer. The global mangrove watch platform is the combined effort of space agencies, scientific institutions, companies, NGO’s and their local partners which recognizes that while space may be the final frontier, our planet is still our only home and mangroves play a significant role in ensuring the longevity of life on Earth.” The GMW platform is the evidence base informing the Global Mangrove Alliance and is the resultof years of continuous collaboration between local and international scientific, research, environmental organisations, and foundations including Wetlands International, The Nature Conservancy, SoloEO, Aberystwyth University, The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, WWF, the IUCN, and supported by the Oak Foundation, COmON Foundation, DOB Ecology and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. Notes for editors (1)To see the raw data click here (2) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666017221000055 Contacts: Mark Spalding, Senior Scientist with The Nature Conservancy, email: mspalding@tnc.org Lammert Hilarides, Senior Technical Officer with Wetlands International, email: lammert.hilarides@wetlands.org Susanna Tol, Senior Advocacy Officer with Wetlands International, email: susanna.tol@wetlands.org

As the climate crisis grows, countries are increasing ambitions within their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These commitments are a vital step towards mitigating climate change and increasing our global resilience. But what role are mangroves playing in these contributions? Coastal ecosystems are well documented to be excellent at carbon capture and storage but have not always been prioritized for well-managed protection and restoration. A new analysis “ Coastal and marine ecosystems as nature-based solutions in new or updated nationally determined contributions ” by WWF, Rare, Conservation International, IUCN, The Nature Conservancy, Wetlands International, GIZ, and Ocean-Climate.org examines the inclusion of marine and coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, in NDCs ahead of the UNFCCC COP26. Following are excerpts highlighting the breadth of analysis and inclusion of mangroves: “The report examines 118 new or updated NDCs, submitted as part of the first revision cycle, with regard to the inclusion of efforts addressing coastal and marine Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate mitigation and/or adaptation. …the present report provides a robust comparison between first NDCs and updated NDCs, showcasing whether countries have increased, renewed, unchanged or decreased their ambition between first and second submissions. …comparative analysis suggests an overall increase, albeit modest, in recognition of the ocean’s role in climate action, and in countries’ level of ambition with regards to leveraging coastal and marine NbS for climate mitigation and adaptation,…” “…45 new or updated NDCs mention mangroves, seagrasses and/or saltmarshes.” “Chapter IV of the IPCC Wetlands Supplement provides scientific knowledge and guidelines on the inclusion of coastal wetlands, specifically seagrasses, saltmarshes and mangroves, into national inventories and communications using a tiered approach allowing for flexibility around technical capacities. 10 countries included a reference to the IPCC Wetlands Supplement in their new or updated NDCs – in line with their strategy to implement coastal and marine NbS for mitigation purposes.” “Countries are encouraged to strengthen their reporting and monitoring frameworks, as well as to include specific and measurable targets in their NDCs (e.g., quantity of carbon sequestered by coastal ecosystems, hectares of mangrove forests planted, percentage of EEZ included in MPAs).” “The majority of these countries undertook efforts to protect coastal blue carbon ecosystems (Table 8.1.a) as a matter of priority, in comparison to other marine and coastal ecosystems (Table 8.1.b). This is consistent with the fact that coastal blue carbon ecosystems (i.e. mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh) are the three coastal ecosystems that have an IPCC-approved methodology to account for their sequestration capacity…” “Regarding mitigation efforts, it is interesting to note that blue carbon ecosystems were clearly favored since 45 countries included mangroves, seagrasses and saltmarshes in their strategies, whereas only 6 countries have integrated other coastal ecosystems for mitigation purposes in their updated NDCs. This suggests that more in-depth understanding of the sequestration potential of other blue carbon ecosystems is needed to ensure adequate policy guidance building on sound scientific data is developed, while at the same time accounting windfalls are avoided. Indeed, strong ocean-based climate action should not be used as a substitute for rapidly phasing-out high emission activities on land and at sea.” Fiji’s commitments as a sample of the analysis: “Fiji notes ‘the need to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems, strengthen their resilience, and restore them when they are degraded. This includes conserving ocean reservoirs as carbon sinks through supporting the restoration, enhancement and conservation of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and coral reefs.’” “Fiji committed to work towards enhancing the ocean as a carbon sink. To that end, Fiji will be allocating 30% of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as Marine Protected Areas and work towards 100% management of its EEZ by 2030 – thereby complementing its National Adaptation Plans (NAP). It considered mitigation co-benefits, ‘conserving ocean reservoirs as carbon sinks’ through supporting coastal ecosystems protection.” Read the full analysis here . © Tom Vierus / WWF-US

The close relationship between mangroves and the fishing community. “A large percentage of mangrove conservationist are the fishing community,” states Kaitira Benard Nyahuro when he shows us around the coastal area of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The aquatic scientist spends most of his time working with coastal communities, encouraging them to focus on conservation and sustainable use of aquatic resources. Speaking with the local communities and hearing their thoughts and worries he has a large experience of how conservation can be successful through community-based approaches. And how protecting coastal ecosystems like mangroves create ripple effects that benefit the whole community. With its 1.424 km long coastline, Tanzania is home to the third largest extent of mangroves in the Western Indian Ocean region. They store 8% of the country´s total fossil fuel CO2 emissions and provide protection from tropical storms and coastal flooding. But as mangroves everywhere are decreasing, so have Tanzanian mangroves suffered from deforestation and over-exploitation. “Human activities that affect mangroves includes cutting mangroves for timber and charcoal, building of hotels and luxurious houses near the beach and livestock keeping, since the cattle consume the mangrove seedlings. Rice pans and salt making is another factor that leads to the decline of mangroves.” In the last five years of working in the field, Kaitira Benard, founder and Program Manager at Aqua- Farms Organization was able to restore 20.000 mangrove trees in the coastal areas of Tanzania. A leading example of where mangrove conservation was successful is the Kunduchi village. It started with Kaitira training local fisherman on mangrove nursery rearing and led to the establishment of a community-led mangrove nursery. The men have developed a cooperative approach in both fishing and mangrove conservation. Because it is the fishermen who are most aware of the close relationship between healthy mangroves and abundance of fish. Before and after they go out to fish, they stop by the nursery to check on the 1700 mangrove seedlings they have reared, fill up the soil on the plastic bags, clean the nursery by removing the weeds, and – during the low tides season – irrigate the nursery. Mangroves are vital breeding grounds for over 3000 fish species. A destruction of these ecosystems leads to a direct reduction of fish – a catastrophic result for both marine biodiversity and food security. The State of the World´s Mangroves 2022 report estimates that mangroves support the production of nearly 600 billion young of shrimp and fish species, as well as 100 billion individuals of crabs and bivalves. 43.000 artisanal fishermen rely on Tanzanian mangroves . Without them, their livelihoods are in danger. © Kent Andreasen / WWF But fishing is not the only way coastal communities directly benefit from protecting and restoring mangroves. Honey collected from bees that pollinate mangroves is known to have a particular fine quality. Selling the seedlings cultivated in mangrove nurseries to conservationists provides valuable income. Since mangroves are excellent at storing carbon, selling carbon credits is another way communities can generate income from mangroves. And mangroves serve as an attraction for both tourists and scientists who are looking for opportunities to spend time exploring the wonderous trees. “Mangroves have a great potential for creating jobs in the coastal communities if the communities themselves emphasize on conservation. We know that if mangroves are properly managed, we are looking forward to the next generation to benefit from the same fruits we are benefiting now.” About Kaitira Benard Nyahuro Kaitira Benard is an aquatic scientist with 5 years of experience in the field and founding member and Program Manager of Aqua- Farms Organization (AFO). He holds a bachelor’s degree in aquatic sciences and Fisheries from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and focused his final year research on socio-economic aspects of fishermen. Kaitira Benard is a member of the Western Indian Ocean Early Career Scientist Network (WIOESN), Tanzania Fisheries and Aquatic Environmental Organization (TAFAEO) and Nature Environment Wildlife and filmmakers (NEWF) fellow. In 2022 he secured the Russell E. Train Education for Nature Initiatives-WWF Reforestation grant to conduct a participatory restoration of degraded mangroves for sustainable ecosystem health at Kunduchi mangrove creek Dar es Salaam. He is also a certified open water diver. Kaitira spends most of his time working with coastal communities by engaging them on conservation and sustainable utilization of aquatic resources and livelihoods improvement.  He has experience in conservation and management of coastal critical habitats (mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs) and until now he successfully restored 20,000 mangrove trees in a coastal area of Dar es Salaam at Mbweni and Kunduchi through community-based approaches. Kaitira Benard’s dream is to serve the world marine resources and lakes through protection, conservation, management, capacity building and promoting blue economy.

A success story from the Kivalo village, Madagascar. It takes a village to raise a child. But it also takes a village for successful mangrove conservation as the example of Justin Rakotomanahira and his grassroots community “Analamaitso tsy ho gnan’olo” (The Green Forest that is ours) shows. Over the past 15 years, the organization was able to restore 56ha of mangroves in Kivalo, western Madagascar. Today, the community serves as a leading example of nature conservation that benefits both the environment and the people. “Mangrove conservation is not just for nature, but for us”, says Justin Rakotomanahira, president of the grassroots community. The slender man speaks with conviction, having grown up in a fishing family in Kivalo, a traditional village located in the heart of the Menabe Antimena protected area in western Madagascar. As a young boy he used to go fishing with his mother on the coastline, while his father would go out to the sea every day. Living in harmony with nature was his daily life, a healthy ocean and coastal biodiversity the basis for the livelihood for his family. “I understand that we have to find a way to support ourselves, but if we don’t do the right thing for nature, our children will suffer because resources will disappear” – Justin Rakotomanahira Rakotomanahira was not fortunate enough to spend many years in school, but today he has mastered the sustainable management of mangroves. And the success of the 40-year-old father of seven and his community is exemplary: With a managed area of around 5000ha mangrove forest, the Kivalo mangroves rank among the healthiest most preserved in Menabe. Monitoring, restoring and raising awareness The main chores of Justin and his colleagues are to monitor the region, report observations in land-use changes such as illegal activities in logging or agriculture and implement sustainable fishing practices in the local communities. Reforestation and maintenance of the existing mangroves is part of their day-to-day business. However, the community organization also sees a crucial point of their work in sensitizing the local population on the importance of mangroves and how to maintain a healthy environment. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” (African proverb) The intrinsic motivation and commitment with which Justin and his team pursue their work has drawn attention and various entities including WWF were inspired, wanting to collaborate with Kivalo village. Since 2010, WWF Madagascar is working together with the community organization, facilitating their access to information and providing technical support and resources for their actions. As a result, the infrastructure of Kivalo has improved greatly and the villagers now have access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The mangrove forests also serve as the main tourist asset, which in turn provides a living for many families. “Our village Kivalo has changed a lot, there have been so many innovations. The whole community benefits. And above all, we have understood the concept of sustainable mangrove conservation. Mangroves are very important to the community as they provide food and income, address climate change and beautify the village and its surroundings.” – Justin Rakotomanahira

An East African Perspective. I am from a landlocked country. The first time I heard about mangroves, trees that grow along ocean coasts, was in my Environmental Law Class at Georgetown Law. Until then, I had never seen a mangrove tree and I never learned about it while growing up in Mukono-Uganda, 1,116.2 km from the ocean. Very little is known about mangroves in landlocked countries.  But does that matter? I spoke to Dr. Samuel Mugisha, a retired Professor of Forestry at Makerere University in Uganda, inquiring whether he taught his students about mangroves. He told me that since the country does not have them, he never taught about them. He went ahead to say that he taught eco –systems that were accessible for students to go to the field and learn practically. According to him, it would be too expensive to take the entire class to Kenya or Tanzania for a field trip. Should landlocked countries concern themselves with a tree species that does not grow within their boundaries? And if so, what impact do the laws and policies of landlocked countries have on protection of mangroves? There is no question that activities in landlocked countries can impact coastal areas.  Research shows that inland rivers dams have an effect on the coastlines in which they flow. A study of four rivers in Sinaloa and Nayarit –Mexico was conducted to show the effects of dams on rivers. The study focused on two dammed rivers and two free flowing rivers. Overtime it showed that the dammed an adverse effect on the coastal system. This is because dams trap good sediment (rocks, minerals and remains of plants and animals) which would normally make its way to the river mouths. When sediment accumulates it allows eco systems like mangroves to grow. River conservation protects mangroves in coastal countries and in turn mangroves alleviate the effects of climate change which affects landlocked countries and coastal countries alike. International agreements govern water sharing rights between countries that share a river, the coastal ecosystem is rarely considered.  For example, agreements on the use of the Nile River dating back to 1929 have never considered mangroves, even in the most recent agreement of 2015. Several countries in the Nile Basin have mangroves, this includes, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Kenya and Tanzania. In river sharing agreements, the major concern seems to be water sharing rights when damming occurs, the coastline ecosystem is not considered. The 2011 Agreement seems to consider wetlands and the ecosystem of the Nile basin but not the coastal eco system where the Nile pours its waters. Mangrove conservation is key because it lessens the effects of climate change that have ravaged the Region in the form floods, drought leading to famine and other associated social economic challenges. It is clear that mangroves are important to landlocked countries and landlocked countries should care about mangrove conservation, however, coastal countries need to express the relevance of mangroves to the East African Region. A good place to start would be recognizing mangroves in key regional and international agreements that might have an effect on mangroves conservation.

Mangroves offer exceptional nature-based solutions for human-made problems with their ability to store carbon, build coastal resilience and provide millions of people with livelihoods. But mangroves loss due to logging, agriculture and impacts of cyclones and flooding continues to be a thread. This report presents the most reliable and up-to-date information currently available on the spatial extent and recent changes in mangrove distribution in the Western Indian Ocean region. It is the first report to quantify and map mangrove blue carbon, drivers of change and restoration potential for the region. The report focuses on mangrove coverage in Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique, which together are home to 5% of the world’s mangroves. The report, gathered for the Global Mangrove Watch mapping tool, and analysed by Wetlands International and DAMCO Consultin, was produced as part of the Save our Mangroves Now! (SOMN) initiative, in collaboration with Global Mangrove Watch. SOMN is a joint initiative by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Wetlands International, bringing together governments, conservation specialists and coastal communities to reverse the decline of mangroves to restore biodiversity, protect livelihoods and mitigate against the impacts of the climate crisis.

The law is an ass. That was the initial feeling borne by a good number of people in the Kenyan coastal region of Gazi (Kwale County) and Mtwapa (Kilifi County). An ass gets the job done; it transports heavy goods without complaining, unencumbered by loads of demands. It does a job that very few animals will do. An ass is stoic. But this was not even about the law, it was about change, attitude and perspective. It was about mangroves. © White Rhino Films / IUCN Mangroves form a unique ecosystem that covers 54,430 ha of the Kenyan coast. For generations, local communities depended on them for fuelwood and for construction. Fishermen have also cut them down for their oars. In Gazi Bay, about 100 ha of mangrove forest was lost over time and about 10 ha in Makupa Creek in Mombasa suffered the same fate. Something had to give. Even though the signs were staring them in the face, nobody could see them; most notable was the fact that gradually, fishermen would come back from the ocean with dwindling catch, affecting the livelihoods of close to 80% of the community who depended on fish. More acutely, and unseen, the environment suffered; soil erosion and erratic weather patterns. So the government banned the illegal logging of mangroves. Nobody understood why. Not immediately, at least. Over in Gazi, Juma Kongoriko, a former fisherman, groans when he remembers that time soon after the ban. “This is what we were used to. [Fishing] This is something that we felt belonged to us. It was part of our culture; we built houses using these poles because a good number of us couldn’t afford to build using stones. So we were not happy with the ban but slowly, groups came to educate us on the importance of these forests and it slowly sunk in. To some it’s still sinking.” Gazi is a typical fishing settlement. It’s laid back. Taarab music trickles from local shops. Men sit on verandahs, shooting the breeze. Palm trees sway unhurriedly in the humid heat. Poverty levels here – according to statistics – stem from low formal education. Incidentally, Gazi’s forests are home to all nine varieties of mangrove that grow in Kenya and a home to 180 species of fish and a diverse bird life. The ban was warranted. One of the most successful interventions is by Mikoko Pamoja group set up in 2013 to protect 117 hectares of mangroves forest around Gazi in partnership with coastal communities. Rahma Rashid, who works with the organisation, portrayed these interventions in the form of numbers and science. “Mangroves store 50 times more carbon in their soils by surface area compared to tropical forests and ten times more than temperate forests.” © White Rhino Films / IUCN “The trick to saving these mangroves was to make the villagers realise that the mangroves do not belong to the government,” says Rahma, “that their livelihoods depended on them saving these forests, not the government.” What is a temperate forest, Rahma? You might ask. She explains that it’s a forest found between a tropical and boreal region. [Well, we won’t ask what a boreal region is.] Their intervention has caused great change. Instead of wood for construction and firewood, the project established Casuarina trees as alternative – as well as material falling from coconut trees – for fuel. “This has traded an equivalent of 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from over 100 hectares of mangroves.” She states. The villagers have also seen, over the last eight years, a sharp rise in their fish harvest as the forest also serves as nurseries for many fish species, including coral reef fish. © White Rhino Films / IUCN Hakim Mohhamed, a fisherman, later nods his head when this principle is posed to him. He’s done fishing all his life. He knows no other skill. “At first we were resistant to this new government ban, but soon we saw how a little sacrifice on our part can benefit us and our children in future, because I don’t want my children to go fishing like I have for the past 12 years,”  Hakim says. “It’s a hard job. I want my children to pursue an education but also to live in an environment that is not harsh. So yes, it’s hard, this ban, but sometimes we have to look at the future, not the present.” The rule of law has largely prevailed in many of these communities. Ironically most of the community members have eventually recognised the importance of an ass. An ass saved their environment. An ass saved their mangroves. Cheers to asses! Jackson Biko is a renowned Kenyan writer, publisher and author. You can follow his work on his blog or on Twitter and Instagram.

Oceans are incredibly biodiverse and important for livelihoods, food, and so much more. Despite mangroves taking up only a small percentage of ocean coastlines, they have an outsized impact on the benefits that oceans provide, like sheltering fish and shellfish and holding onto sediment and nutrients that would otherwise smother other underwater ecosystems. On World Oceans Day today, the theme is “Uniting Ocean Action.” While much of the ocean is out of reach for many of us, helping our ocean coasts, and working to protect and restore mangroves, is a more accessible, and tangible way to support our oceans. These newsletters put the spotlight on events and projects that our Global Mangrove Alliance membership is leading and that you can become involved in to help oceans, people, and climate change mitigation worldwide.  Today, we’re sharing funding opportunities, workshops, conferences, restoration projects, and community engagement stories to give you opportunities and inspiration to become involved in mangrove, and ocean, action from wherever you live. Read more about these updates below. We’ll have more to share from our Alliance on our website and social media channels around the UN Ocean Conference at the end of June and in the lead up to the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26. Happy World Oceans Day! © CI-Guyana

New study examines and develops a consistent framework to meet global goals. A great interest has been shown globally in mangrove restoration due to the variety of ecosystem processes, functions, and services that mangroves provide. With the uptake of targets under global initiatives such as the UN Decade of Restoration and the Bonn Challenge, this interest has further grown. However, despite the large economic investment being made in restoration of mangroves and coastal ecosystems, it is still unclear whether global goals can, or will, be met. Our new study, “ Quantifying the Reporting, Coverage and Consistency of Key Indicators in Mangrove Restoration Projects “, finds that the information being reported from mangrove restoration case studies is extremely variable and siloed. From the case studies examined, we found that socioeconomic outcomes and studies dealing with site conditions prior to restoration were consistently missing from most project reporting. Conversely, the intervention type and ecological monitoring were far more prevalent (see Figure 2, below). In general, we found that the restoration literature did not follow any specific framework in terms of reporting which likely contributed to the gaps in the information recorded. These gaps hinder comparisons between case studies and then inhibit the ability for future groups working on restoration projects to learn from previous attempts by identifying commonalities. To address this inconsistency in reporting, the Global Mangrove Alliance will launch a new reporting system this summer through the Global Mangrove Watch that builds off the findings of this study. This system will allow practitioners to share information as they undertake restoration and provide updates on success and lessons learned throughout the project as needed. As with the rest of the Global Mangrove Watch platform, the restoration information shared will be freely available and can be used to further improve mangrove restoration efforts and meet global goals. For more information on these findings, see the full, Open Access, paper in Frontiers for Forests and Global Change (doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2022.720394) and contact Yasmine M. Gatt with any questions. Written by Yasmine M. Gatt, Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

Member Spotlight Fauna & Flora International (FFI) supports local stakeholders to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide. Our marine programme, established in 2010, has grown to a portfolio of 33 projects spanning 17 countries across five regions, including Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, Eastern Atlantic Islands, Western Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. FFI views mangrove protection and restoration as an integral part of our global efforts to reverse biodiversity loss and combat climate change. Across our marine project portfolio, we are working with in-country partners to ensure that mangroves receive the attention they deserve. In Honduras, FFI is supporting five local partners to conserve a 300,00ha seascape that comprises three important marine protected areas and a rich diversity of marine species and habitats. We have established a mangrove monitoring programme and, with community support, we are aiming to reforest an area of mangrove estimated to sequester an additional 3,000 tonnes of carbon. There are also ongoing efforts to remove an invasive oil palm that poses an additional threat to the native trees. ©Vance Russell / FFI FFI’s work in Cambodia is focusing on the establishment of a national network of MPAs, building on our critical support for the designation of Cambodia’s first Marine National Park in the Koh Rong Archipelago in 2018. As part of our wider marine conservation and fisheries management efforts, FFI is working to maintain the mangroves in Koh Rong, and we have expanded our work to include the largest mangrove area in Southeast Asia – in Pream Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary in Koh Kong in northern Cambodia, and the mangroves in Kep and Kampot in Southern Cambodia. This is combined with locally led initiatives to improve nursery practices, growing a variety of mangrove species to engage communities in restoring deforested mangrove areas. In Tanzania, FFI has been partnering with Mwambao Coastal Community Network on Pemba island for seven years, who are now scaling up and taking an ecosystem-based approach to coastal resource management and adaptation to climate change in northern Tanzania, incorporating 10,000 hectares of coastal forest across Zanzibar and the mainland. A full blue carbon feasibility study has recently started, aiming to understand the scope for blue carbon credit production in the area and eventually diversify and sustain funding for ongoing community-led conservation approaches. Mangroves are a critical nature-based solution to the twin climate and biodiversity crises, and their conservation and restoration is central to FFI’s marine work. ©Evan Bowen-Jones / FFI For more information, follow the links below: FFI website blog. FFI Magazine article . Mwambao CCN.

Zoning studies in the Colombian Caribbean. Colombia has made progress with one of the first projects to update the mangrove zoning of the Colombian Caribbean following an update to a 20-year-old legal regulation. With the new Resolution 1263 of 2018, new measures are expected to guarantee sustainability and management of the mangrove ecosystem. The coastal zone of the Córdoba Department (region) and its small mangrove patches was the focus during the last year. A characterization study for mangrove management was undertaken using new technologies, including drone or satellite images that monitor change detection of natural coverage over time, for delimitation and identification of mangrove areas. In addition, information was collected on the carbon content in the mangrove sediment, the erosion processes that affect the ecosystem, and the assessment and identification of ecosystem services. These metrics are being analyzed alongside a community participation component, which is key to guiding territorial management processes with a community focus. With this information, a management tool will be generated in support of local and regional authorities and their partners to drive successful conservation actions for this ecosystem. © INVEMAR