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Saturday, December 8, 2018

From mitigating climate change, to protecting coastlines, food security, bio-diversity, and economic and social equality – mangroves offer important solutions for our planet!


Over the past 26 years the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) has worked around the globe in giving a voice to mangroves, and in helping to conserve and restore these critical forest wetlands. The world today faces a number of challenges – ranging from climate change, to protecting coastlines from strengthening storms, ensuring food security, and economic and social equality. Luckily, mangroves provide unique solutions to these pressing issues!

You may have read or heard recently about a report issued by the world’s leading climate scientists at the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), warning us that urgent changes are needed to reverse the course of climate trends. Nearly 2.4 billion people live within 60 miles of the coast, and as temperatures and sea levels continue to rise these areas will be some of the most heavily impacted.

Luckily, mangroves have been found to be incredible long-term carbon sinks, storing carbon in the plants themselvesbut also (and more importantly) in the soils below for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. Indeed, scientists have discovered that they store far more carbon than first thought – in some cases up to 5 times more per acre than inland forests! – all of which helps significantly in the fight against climate change.
Screen Shot 2018-12-06 at 4.31.03 PMGiven this fact, as well as the numerous other benefits provided by mangroves, it is now even more imperative to conserve and restore our global mangrove forests. To this end, MAP continues leading ecology and community-based mangrove restoration workshops and trainings across Latin America, Asia – and most recently Africa – to ensurthat restoration efforts globally are more successful, bringing a brighter future to coastal communities.
And while we are ramping up our efforts at MAP to protect and restore these crucial wetland ecosystems, we are also helping nurturthe next generation of coastal forest defenders. Now that we have specific targets (like keeping average global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius), we need to educate the younger generations as they will be responsible for meeting these goals. Across all of our programs, MAP aims to educate and inspire young people so that they grow up informed and passionate about the issues and importance of mangroves.

None of this work would be possible without our supporters, and we want to thank you for all your help in ensuring the continued health of our global mangrove ecosystems. The assistance we’ve received from supporters like you over the past year haallowed MAP to:

  • Work with Wetlands International to bring our innovative Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) method training to Africa, and to expand trainings to additional countries;
  • Expand our Marvellous Mangroves program to 2 additional countries (Suriname and French Guyana) – adding to the 250,000 children around the world who have taken part in the curriculum;
  • Conduct livelihood trainings in Thailand communities, and strengthen their CBEMR network so that they can expand protection of their country’s mangrove forests.

In the coming months, MAP will be pushing our successful ecology and community-based methods to the forefront of mangrove restoration efforts globally, and will continue engaging current and future generations in these crucial ecosystems. But we can only do so thanks to our amazing network of supporters! During this year-end giving season, we hope you’ll consider a tax-deductible donation to Mangrove Action Project.2019 Calendar Sales email header copy

To make a donation, please visit our donations webpage, or mail a check to the following address:

P.O. Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362
USA


You can also purchase our 2019 Children's Art Calendar through our website, which makes a great holiday gift!
And as always, from the mangroves and all those who call them home – thank you!

Sincerely,                                                                                                                              
Screen Shot 2018-12-06 at 4.38.13 PM                            Screen Shot 2018-12-06 at 4.38.23 PM
Alfredo Quarto                                        Dylan Skeffington
Co-Directors,
Mangrove Action Project
PO Box 1854
Port Angeles, WA 98362-0279

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