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Saturday, September 28, 2019

MAP News Issue 478 - Sept. 28, 2019

Mangrove Action Project

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The MAP News
478th Edition                                                     Sept 27, 2019

FEATURE

Winners announced in Mangrove Action Day Photographs
2019MAPPhotoWinners
TITLE: Mangrove Crab Fisherman | Enrico Marone | Brazil
GLOBAL – Drumroll please … Our First Placewinner in the 2019 Mangrove Action Day Photography contest 'Mangrove Crab Fisherman'. Congratulations to Enrico Marone from Brazil for this stunning image of a community member in Bahia state using traditional methods of crab harvesting that have been used for generations, respecting fish stocks and maintaining their cultural heritage. 2nd Placeis 'Mangrove Fairies'. A magical long exposure shot of a group of mangrove trees covered in thousands of fireflies in Siargao Island. Congratulations to Janos Leo G. Andanar from Philippines for this beautiful scene. Our 3rd Placewinner is Stephanie Sargis from USA with her photo 'Vital Support'. Congratulations Stephanie for this intimate shot of a Great Egret sheltering from a passing storm in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge! Thank you to the more than 250 photographers who enter this year's contest. You made the judging extremely difficult by providing such excellent photos. We invite you to continue shooting, in anticipation of next year's contest. VIEW ALL PHOTOS

AFRICA

Cashing in on Kenya's mangroves
Kenyas-Mangrove.12-PM
KENYA - About a third of the world's mangrove forests have been cut down in the past 40 years. That's dealt a huge blow to the environment, because mangroves are able to store up to five times more greenhouse gases than other trees. Communities in Kenya are now replanting mangroves. That's certainly good for the environment and it also helps them financially: They make money from selling carbon credits.LISTEN TO AUDIO

AMERICAS

The Blue Crab, Guardian of the Mangroves of Esmeraldas
blue crab mangroves
ECUADORE - Cardiosoma crassum, known in Spanish as cangrejo azul, the blue crab, and also in English as the giant land crab or mouthless crab, is a terrestrial crustacean that feeds on the leaves of mangrove trees and their surrounding vegetation. The crab is particularly concentrated in the north of the province of Esmeraldas, in northern Ecuador.Sadly their reproduction is being hindered by the impact of human activities on the mangroves: intensive exploitation, mass tourism and the chemical products (pesticides and antibiotics) used in shrimp farming. In 2018, the Esmeraldas Blue Crab was recognized as a Slow Food Presidium, within the framework of the project “Empowering indigenous youth and their communities to defend their food heritage” financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).  READ MORE

Local homeowners asked to plant salt-tolerant mangrove seedlings
Homeowners-plant-mangroves
USA - Sea levels are rising and saltwater intrusion into our drinking water, septic tanks, landscape and agriculture is inevitable. Pinecrest Gardens-based environmental artist and University of Miami Professor of Practice Xavier Cortada wants residents to do something about it. In his new, socially charged “Plan(T)” project, Cortada is embarking on a public campaign to urge every resident across Miami-Dade County to plant a saltwater-tolerant mangrove seedling and white flag in their yard to start preparing for the future of sea level rise. “We need to start planting for the future,” Cortada said. “Our water’s edge is no longer at the coastline. It’s at your feet and at the aquifer, too. In the decades to come, much of our non-salt tolerant tree canopy will not survive the impacts of storm surge and saltwater intrusion, putting us at risk for significant loss of our green landscape, agriculture and shoreline in the Magic City.” READ MORE

ASIA

Mangrove ecosystems must be protected
Sri-Lanka-mangroves
SRI LANKA - A recent attempt by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to acquire 9,197.8ha of mangroves from protected areas for aquaculture projects contradicts the Governments’ attempt to restore 10,000 ha of mangroves while destroying an important ecosystem, jeopardizing the livelihood of traditional fishing communities, the Young Zoologists’ Association said at a press conference recently. A Gazette Extraordinary issued under Clause 38 of the Fisheries and Aquatic Act on May 8, 2017 lists land to be released to the National Aquaculture Development Authority. These include 1300 hectares from Wedithalathivu, Mannar, 100 hectares from Kalamitiya, Hambantota, 8 hectares of Kirinda lagoon, over 40 hectares from Puttalam lagoon, 65 hectares from Talaimannar island, 28 hectares from Cod Bay, Trincomalee, 29 hectares from Powder Bay, 25 hectares from Galle Harbour, including reserved forests, conservation forests, national reserves and sanctuaries, and other stated forests, where the protected status will be removed. “Talaimannar has Venkalai Sanctuary on one side and Adam's Bridge Marine National Park on the other. It’s not clear as to where these lands will be taken from,” said Enviornmentalist and Attorney-at-Law Jagath Gunawardana speaking at the conference. The observations were attached from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Development to a Cabinet Memorandum containing the President’s proposals. According to him, these observations, contradict each other. READ MORE

NO new coal power – protect local people and wildlife!
bengale-tiger-n0-coal
BANGLADESH - The Sundarban mangrove forests are the largest and most biodiverse in the world. The ecosystem is home to Bengal tigers, chital deer, dolphins and critically endangered northern river terrapins. UNESCO declared the mangrove forest a World Heritage Site in 1997. Yet the government of Bangladesh is pushing ahead with building a massive coal-fired power plant just a few kilometers away in Rampal. Exim Bank of India has already granted a loan of of 1.6 billion US dollars for its construction. The construction work would destroy mangroves, and thus tiger habitat. The operation of the plant would heat and pollute the water of the Passur river, and many fish and dolphins would not survive in those conditions. Accidents involving coal barges could cause untold damage. The coal-fired power plant would exacerbate the climate crisis and its grave impact on Bangladesh in the form of floods, sea level rise and cyclones. READ MORE

For one Indonesian village, mangrove restoration has been all upside
Indonesia
INDONESIA - Harniati keeps her youngest daughter close as the pair walk along the footpath from this village to the southeast coast of Lombok Island. For years, the people of Paremas have walked down to the beach to scoop up fish and other sea life left behind in pools by the falling tide. “It’s easier to search around here now,” she says, dressed in a fern-colored hijab and clutching an old paint bucket to collect the catch of the day. “Even for the kids.” Until relatively recently, Harniati’s coastline was shielded from storm surges and deposits of plastic trash by a large mangrove forest. But demand for firewood in the community meant the Paremas mangrove was slowly depleted. Around a decade ago, the local government and environmental NGOs began work on building a consensus in the community: that the mangrove needed restoring. Everyone came around to the idea; then they got to work replanting the Paremas mangrove. The result has brought surprising changes. READ MORE

Sri Lanka wields mangroves, its tsunami shield, against climate change
Monkey-in-mangrove
SRI LANKA - About 140 kilometers (87 miles) south of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, lies the coastal town of Koggala. Koggala and neighboring Unawatuna, one of Sri Lanka’s most popular tourist destinations, had for decades experienced significant environmental destruction: from sand extraction to mangrove clearance to reef destruction — all resources on which the local communities were highly dependent. Then the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 struck, destroying lives and property on a scale that the Indian Ocean island had never before experienced. As part of the post-tsunami recovery, new mangrove regeneration and conservation efforts were carried out along the more ravaged areas of the southern coast. In Galle district, where Koggala and Unawatuna are located, a multi-stakeholder approach was adopted with public-private partnerships to drive replanting efforts. Long after the NGOs and the government moved on, however, it’s the local community that’s responsible for the success of the “mangrove green belt” that’s sprouted up along the southern coast today, locals say. READ MORE

Massacre of the Mangroves
Mangrove-Massacre
INDIA - For decades, the 4,265 sq. km mangrove belt, spread over the Sundarbans delta and the reserve forests of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, has acted as a line of defence for its 2.5 million people against coastal erosion, tidal onslaughts and natural calamities. While the scars of an expanding human footprint over the years are indisputable, environment watchdogs have spotted and put a stop to fresh violations in this ecologically sensitive region-it seems just in the nick of time. Hundreds of acres of the Sundarbans mangroves-one of the world's largest such forests-are feared to have been lost due to illegal felling carried out for government schemes aimed at providing housing and farmland to the poor. This has happened under the patronage of the local administration, allegedly to benefit Trinamool Congress (TMC) loyalists. READ MORE

A decade dedicated to mangroves
Mangrove
INDIA - While the State witnessed a rapid decline in mangroves in recent decades, there are a few who still care for the lush green trees with tangled roots, which can help mitigate climate change by storing huge amounts of carbon dioxide and form the first line of defence for coastal communities. When Anil Kumar M.R. retired as an executive engineer from the Agriculture Department in 2011, he wanted to do something different. After mulling over a few ideas, he finally decided to develop a mangrove-based integrated farming project in the family-owned five acres of ‘wasteland’ at Devikulangara, near Kayamkulam. After spending almost a decade planting and conserving, Mr. Kumar and his wife Mini K. Rajan, former additional director, Agriculture Department, are now proud owners of a unique ‘model mangrove forest’, spread over 2.5 acres housing a large number of mangrove trees belonging to nine different species, including Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica, and Ceriops tagal. READ MORE

How bio-restoration is helping revive degraded mangroves in Sunderbans
researchers-group
INDIA - A new technology developed by Indian scientists for ecological restoration is helping in a revival of mangroves degraded due to rising sea levels, climate change and human intrusion in the Sunderbans in West Bengal. Ecological restoration means reviving native ecosystem in degraded areas while maintaining the diversity of original flora and fauna through regeneration but bringing down the regeneration period to 4 to 5 years. Natural recovery takes a longer time. The restoration technology, developed by Krishna Ray (West Bengal State University, Kolkata) and Sandip Kumar Basak (Sarat Centenary College, Dhaniakhali), consists of plantation of native salt-tolerant grasses and a diverse set of carefully identified mangrove species in different zones of degraded mangrove patches. It also involves the use of growth-promoting bacteria. READ MORE

Breathing new life into the mangroves
India mangroves
INDIA - A Mangrove Genetic Resources Conservation Centre has been developed in the core area of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) in the Godavari estuary with 25 species collected from various places across the country, including the Sundarbans, Bitarkanika in Odisha, and the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary and Coringa in Andhra Pradesh. Scientists of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) spared no effort to make it happen. A portion of the area (around one acre) has been set aside for the CWS for the centre, which is being funded by the United Nations Development Programme (Global Environmental Finance). The East Godavari River Estuarian Ecosystem Foundation (EGREE) of the State Forest Department has been roped in to help the MSSRF develop the centre. READ MORE

OCEANA

Newly Discovered Corals In Mangrove Lagoons Can Withstand Extremes
Mangroves and corals
AUSTRALIA - The Great Barrier Reef has undergone a progressive decline since the 1980s, including its worst-ever mass bleaching in 2016. Up until now, lots of research on the Great Barrier Reef has focused on areas where extreme conditions, such as excessive heat, are dampened. Corals cannot typically withstand sudden increases in temperature, so protected 'pockets' of corals that do not receive the full effects of a heat wave could help repopulate devastated reefs nearby. However, these 'pockets' will not be a permanent savior to Great Barrier Reef corals once the heat waves become excessive within them, too. "...even the ‘robust reefs’ might be wiped out in the not-too-distant future – unless we really get serious right now about mitigating global warming," explains Dr. John Alroy, Professor at Macquarie University in Sydney. READ MORE

LAST WORD

Hello,

My name is Jayantha Wijesingha, the convener of Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka and the coordinator of Rainforest protectors Trust, a volunteer organization committed to preserve our rainforests since 2012 of its inception. 

We later diversified in to protecting various other ecosystems including Wetlands and mangroves. Currently we are trying to protect "Muthurajawela" which has both Freshwater and salt water mangroves but are fast loosing grounds due to high commercial value of the lands nearby. 

Disappointed to say we don't have any committed organization in Sri Lanka dedicated to protecting mangroves. We on the other hand have been the leader in getting Oil Palm expansion banned recently and have achieved numerous milestones in conservation. Our action have saved nearly 10K acres of forests and lands during the last 1 year that were to be deforested. 

Since we got involved with Muthurajawela 2 years ago, we are closely working with Department of Wildlife Conservation and other stakeholders to prevent mangrove deforestation, encroachment and illegal filling of wetland & lagoon. However, our task is very challenging with absolutely no support coming currently. 

Wedithalathivu is a yet another mangorve forest that is under threat which we need to pay attention to. We have lost most of our mangrove forests already and we need o act now. As a volunteer movement this is impossible right now unless we get some significant support coming from an organization like yours to deal with it and make it more sustainable. We have protected Most of Muthurajawela with our activism work during the last two years but unable to protect the whole system without support. 

Below are some recent videos we did in Muthurajawela 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2302768486427287
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=399432254043459

Please do get in touch if you think you can help this tiny island preserve its remaining mangrove forests. 

Thanks & Regards,
Jayantha Wijesingha 
http://www.RainforestProtectors.org
http://www.RainforestProtectorsTrust.org

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ACTION ALERTS

PETITION - NO new coal power – protect local people and wildlife!
SIGN OUR PETITION

Help stop the advance of oil palm plantations in Gabon!
SIGN THE PETITION

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO Mangrove Action Day Photography Voting underwayCLICK HERE

69 million tons of carbon stored thanks to mangrove restoration, as demonstrated by the new Mangrove Restoration Map VIEW MAP HERE

Keep loggers out of Selous Game Reserve!
Tanzania’s government is moving ahead with its plans for a hydroelectric dam in Selous Game Reserve. A huge swath of the UNESCO World Heritage site and habitat of iconic African wildlife would suffer irreparable damage. 1,500 km2 – an area the size of London – has just been opened to logging. Please help us protect Selous. SIGN PETITION

Don't trash coral reefs for the cruise industry! - TAKE ACTION

Sea turtles or condominiums?
Sand mining and construction work would wipe out a marine biodiversity hotspot and destroy the livelihoods of local people, who have not been consulted. Please SIGN!


Save Penang! Reject the 3-Islands Reclamation
The lack of public consultation and detailed information about the project is shocking in view of the size of proposed reclamation which is 4,500 acres or 7 square miles
PLEASE SIGN

Save Pulau Kukup National Park - second largest mangrove island in the world. Sign The Petition

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UPCOMING EVENTS

2019 Environmental Science and Climate Change Conference September 10-11, 2019
2019-climate-change-conference-logo
REGISTER NOW



Restoring natural forests
Restoring The Natural Mangrove Forest
Watch movie

Tanzania CBEMR
Community Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration in Rufiji Delta 
VIEW VIDEO

Video: Mangroves for the Future - A look bacK. As the latest phase of Mangroves for the Future (MFF) draws to a close, this video highlights some of the project’s most successful initiatives – from local women supporting national park management in Viet Nam to an island in the Maldives that has become a model for waste management, and everything in between. View Here

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

VOLUNTEER WITH MAP


MANGROVE ISSUES 

Want to learn more about mangroves?mangrove-action-project-presentation-1-1024.jpg?cb=1424228039
Our short presentation will give you a better understanding of the issues we are working to solve. WATCH PRESENTATION

What is CBEMR? Easy to follow fact sheet – CLICK HERE

What is EPIC? - The Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC) project:  the role of ecosystems as protective barriers against climate induced hazards

MANGROVES APP AVAILABLE
A pictorial field guide for easy identification of various mangrove species and learning about the mangroves ecosystem. CLICK HERE

View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel
Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign!  
WATCH VIDEO

Mangrove Restoration in Asia – Watch Short Video

The Value of Mangrove Forests View Video

CBEMR Experience Exchange MAP 2017 English Subtitles
VIEW THE VIDEO

Mangroves: Guidebook to MalaysiaClick Here
 
Mangrove rehabilitation in Asia – Local Action and cross-border Transfer of Knowledge for the Conservation of Climate, Forests and Biodiversity VIEW VIDEOS HERE

SHARE MAP'S VISION 
CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea".

Our short documentary, Reducing the Risk of Disaster through Nature-Based Solutions : Mangroves
EPIC-Film 2
 
Exclusive Interview with Alfredo Quarto, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mangrove Action Project - See more


Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum

The Marvellous Mangroves Education Forum is an online hub for those utilizing the Marvellous Mangroves (MM) Curriculum. It gives students, teachers and anyone interested in mangroves, the opportunity to learn and share ideas themed around the curriculum, to connect and communicate with others around the globe whilst exploring mangroves from your computer or on the go. VISIT

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The award-winning Marvellous Mangroves (MM) curriculum educates children on the importance of mangroves and their ecological functions, teaching them about modern challenges and mechanisms for sustainability. VIEW VIDEO

Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum in Bangladesh - WATCH VIDEO
MARVELLOUS MANGROVES IN BRAZIL
En Portuges

MAP%20Curriculum%20Video
Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.


FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT
Education in the Mangroves - China
VIMEO SHOW
VISIT OUR "MM" WEBPAGE

Check out our presentation for more details on Marvellous Mangroves

Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT
 
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine - Read More


Like this newsletter? Pease consider donating to MAP to keep it going. Giving could never be easier

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Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE


 Volunteer Opportunities with Mangrove Action Project CLICK HERE


"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition

Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog
Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp


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Mangrove Action Project

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Saturday, September 14, 2019

MAP News Issue 477 - Sept 14, 2019

Mangrove Action Project
The MAP News
477th Edition                                                     Sept 14, 2019

FEATURE

Last Call for voting on Mangrove Action Day Photographs
Kulhudhuffushi-Maldives
TITLE: Land Crab // Mr Martin Whiteley // Maldives
GLOBAL – There is still time to vote for your favorite photo! MAP's recent call for photographs for World Mangrove Day 2019 is raising awareness of the important connections people have with mangrove forests. In July 2019, we asked for and received 250 stunning photos from 30 countries around the world that highlighted mangrove ecosystems and their important contributions to communities and the environment. The theme for this year was #MangrovesMatter. We would like to thank each and every person who contributed to this project! Winners will be announced later this month and there is also a People’s Choice Award that is given out to the photo with the most votes. Enjoy the photos below and vote for your favourite!We had our most impressive photo contest with 250 submissions from 30 different countries around the tropics. Voting for the People's Choice Awards seem to be coming in thick and fast also. Be great to keep the energy up on this. VIEW PHOTOS

AFRICA

Forests and passion: a hero’s guide to resisting climate change
Victor2
SEYCHELLES - For many people, retirement is a chance to take a break. Not so for Victorin Laboudallon, a grandfather from the Seychelles who spends his days planting forests to fight climate change. Wherever there’s a forest fire in the Seychelles, you can be sure you’ll find Laboudallon ready to fight back, armed with seeds and shovels. “Protecting nature makes me very happy in life,” says Laboudallon. “We need to protect it as much as we can, so other generations can enjoy it like I did when I was a kid.” Laboudallon, 65, has built a network of volunteers, from children to retirees, whom he calls upon to help him with replanting. Laboudallon is widely known across the Seychelles for his decades of environmental action and his big personality. While planting trees in the wet dirt, barefoot and laughing, he says his surname means “friend of the mud” in his local Creole language.“I’m not somebody who lives under the big concrete. I live under the beautiful trees,” he says, pointing above at the iconic coco-de-mer palm.The Seychelles is a nation of 115 islands—known for glistening beaches and stunning biodiversity—off the east coast of Africa. Here climate change is not a distant prospect, but a daily reality. READ MORE

Help stop the advance of oil palm plantations in Gabon
foto-petición-gabon
GABON - OLAM is a large transnational agribusiness company based in Singapore that operates in over 70 countries. In 2010, OLAM partnered with the government of Gabon to develop large industrial oil palm and rubber plantations on a total of 500,000 hectares of land in the Central African country with extensive forest areas. To implement their plans, OLAM and the government of Gabon created several companies, including SOTRADER. Dozens of communities live on the land that the government gave to OLAM in concession; these communities depend on the forests and savannas for their livelihoods which are based on agriculture, hunting, gathering and fishing. Ever since OLAM began its operations, the company and its plantations have brought great destruction to the communities’ territory, and have started to enclose more and more. READ MORE


AMERICAS

The State of the World’s Mangrove Forests: Past, Present, and Future
State of World's Mangroves
USA – (Friess et al) Intertidal mangrove forests are a dynamic ecosystem experiencing rapid changes in extent and habitat quality over geological history, today and into the future. Climate and sea level have drastically altered mangrove distribution since their appearance in the geological record ∼75 million years ago (Mya), through to the Holocene. In contrast, contemporary mangrove dynamics are driven primarily by anthropogenic threats, including pollution, overextraction, and conversion to aquaculture and agriculture. Deforestation rates have declined in the past decade, but the future of mangroves is uncertain; new deforestation frontiers are opening, particularly in Southeast Asia and West Africa, despite international conservation policies and ambitious global targets for rehabilitation. In addition, geological and climatic processes such as sea-level rise that were important over geological history will continue to influence global mangrove distribution in the future. Recommendations are given to reframe mangrove conservation, with a view to improving the state of mangroves in the future. READ MORE

Mangroves, Climate Change And Hurricanes
mangroves
USA - Florida <was> preparing for the possibility of a major hurricane in coming days. And scientists are saying that mangroves might help lessen the impact of a storm surge. Mangroves are tropical trees with a tangled web of roots that grow along warm coastline. Mangroves are spreading, growing farther north and south as the earth gets warmer. But as it turns out, these trees may actually help slow the effects of climate change. Danny Lippi is a certified master arborist, one of a select few the state allows to trim mangroves. Recently, more mangroves have been arriving in northeast Florida and thriving. They're growing taller, blocking waterfront views and boosting demand for his services. The known northern-most limit of mangroves in the U.S. is about 70 miles north of here on Amelia Island. Researchers say the trees are moving forward globally, a phenomenon that's being driven by climate change - specifically, fewer and less intense freezes and more intense storms. As storms grow in intensity, they're able to carry the trees' seed-like propagules farther. And the last freeze strong enough to wipe mangroves out in northeast Florida was 30 years ago. Since then, researchers say mangrove forests have expanded by 1,700 acres here.READ MORE

Researchers assessing impact of storms, roads on mangroves
Multiple Risks to mangroves
USA - What do mangroves, hurricanes and roads have in common? They’re all part of Southwest Florida’s coastal environment. Mangroves and hurricanes are natural; roads are not. And hurricanes and roads can have major effects on mangroves. Working with Win Everham, professor of environmental studies, graduate student Gianna Diaz is finishing up a project to determine how hurricanes and roads affect the area’s mangrove forests. “I have lived in Clearwater my whole life and I’ve always seen mangroves while driving to the beach and boating but never understood why they created these islands,” said Diaz, who is working on her master’s in environmental studies. “Then I got to FGCU and started working with Win, who had started a project at Vester [Marine Field Station] looking at how Hurricane Irma affected a mangrove island there. Helping with that work got me interested in how a hurricane will affect a forest that has been hit over and over again by hurricanes throughout history. Then Win came up with the idea of multiple disturbances, and I knew that was my project.” READ MORE

Hundreds of flamingos arrive to the mangroves of Sisal
flamingos-sisal
MEXICO - A fantastic event took place in Sisal, and residents of this municipality went out to the mangroves to look at the hundreds of beautiful pink flamingos and take pictures. A resident of Sisal, Doña Esmeralda Acosta, managed to capture in photographs, the arrival of hundreds of flamingos to the mangrove area right next to her home. She posted the photos on her Facebook page, and the publication immediately went viral. There is concern that this important natural habitat could be invaded by humans, as it has happened in the mangrove area of Progreso, Yucalpetén and Chelem, where locals and visitors have polluted this fragile ecosystem, that is absolutely vital for the reproduction and survival of dozens of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. However, it is worth mentioning that reforestation actions have been implemened recently in the mangroves of Sisal. These so-called “reforestation beds” are intended to grow baby mangrove seedlings. READ MORE

Mangroves allegedly removed, jetty built in Claxton Bay
Claxton Bay
TRINIDAD TOBAGO - Questions have been raised over the removal of mangrove trees in the Claxton Bay area along with the construction of a fishing jetty. Conservation group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) said in a post to social media that reports were received of the allegedly illegal structure. The group said mangrove trees have been trimmed and wooden platforms assembled on-site to build the jetty. "Mangrove trees are being trimmed and built wooden platforms are being assembled on-site to form the Jetty. Residents claim that the activity has been taking place for the past one (1) week. It is believed that this construction is being carried out by the owners of pleasure boats in the area," the group said. READ MORE

ASIA

How Drones Will Be Used To Save Tigers And Mangroves In The Sundarbans
sundarbans_1568098360
BANGLADESH - The Sundarbans, stretching from the coast of West Bengal to Bangladesh, is the world's largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO heritage site.
It also houses the Sundarban National Park, home to the Royal Bengal tiger. Now the government of Bangladesh has a plan to protect it. ou see, the Sundarbans and the reserve within are both under attack. Poachers are constantly attempting to get their hands on the tigers, and mangroves are constantly being cleared away, leading to further erosion and flooding in the area. The problem is, it's really hard to police the region, given how expansive it is. There's just not enough manpower to cover every access point. So now, the Bangladesh Forest Department has announced it has plans to monitor the region using drones. READ MORE

Save Maldives Campaign : Conserving Kulhudhuffusi Kulhi
Kulhudhufushi-mangrove
MALDIVES - The decision to build a domestic airport in Kulhudhuffushi wetland and mangroves and the subsequent reclamation of a significant part of the mangroves is one of the biggest environmental ecocides the Maldives has seen in recent times. The destruction of the mangrove ecosystem commenced in October 2017, during President Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration despite a public outcry against this. Kristen Brown, a documentary filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada is working on a film about coastal adaptation in the face of climate change called Master Plan. Master Plan will travel to locations around the world where there are major infrastructure developments being built to protect a coastal area from sea level rise and where the developments being built are destructive to the local environment and are negatively impacting local communities. Recently there have been people speaking out about the destruction of mangroves with the construction of the airport at Kulhudullfushi. The film aims to highlight some of the organizations in the Maldives that are working on campaigns to save the mangroves related to climate change adaptation. READ MORE

Mangroves aid families in Kampot
Cambodia mangroves
CAMBODIA - Civil society organisations and the Kampot Fisheries Administration warned that around 3,500 fishing families in the province stand to lose a total of between $16 million to $220 million in income yearly if mangrove forests are not protected. The warning was made during the launch of 100,000 Mangroves Campaign in the province’s Toek Chhou district, organised by ActionAid Cambodia, Children and Women Development Centre in Cambodia, Samaky Organisation, and eight communities in collaboration with the provincial Fisheries Administration. The campaign is aimed at planting mangrove saplings in the province. READ MORE

EUROPE

World must invest $1.8 trillion in mangroves to hold back climate change
World investment in mangroves
U.K. - Nations rich and poor must invest now to protect against the effects of climate change or pay an even heavier price later, a global commission warned. Spending $1.8 trillion across five key areas over the next decade would not only help buffer the worst impacts of global warming but could generate more than $7 trillion in net benefits, the report from the Global Commission on Adaptation argued. "We are the last generation that can change the course of climate change, and we are the first generation that then has to live with the consequences," former UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who chairs the commission, said at the report's launch in Beijing. "Delay and pay, or plan and prosper," he said, sharing a catchphrase from the commission, which is co-chaired by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva. READ MORE

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ACTION ALERTS

Help stop the advance of oil palm plantations in Gabon!
SIGN THE PETITION

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO Mangrove Action Day Photography Voting underwayCLICK HERE

69 million tons of carbon stored thanks to mangrove restoration, as demonstrated by the new Mangrove Restoration Map VIEW MAP HERE

Keep loggers out of Selous Game Reserve!
Tanzania’s government is moving ahead with its plans for a hydroelectric dam in Selous Game Reserve. A huge swath of the UNESCO World Heritage site and habitat of iconic African wildlife would suffer irreparable damage. 1,500 km2 – an area the size of London – has just been opened to logging. Please help us protect Selous. SIGN PETITION

Don't trash coral reefs for the cruise industry! - TAKE ACTION

Sea turtles or condominiums?
Sand mining and construction work would wipe out a marine biodiversity hotspot and destroy the livelihoods of local people, who have not been consulted. Please SIGN!


Save Penang! Reject the 3-Islands Reclamation
The lack of public consultation and detailed information about the project is shocking in view of the size of proposed reclamation which is 4,500 acres or 7 square miles
PLEASE SIGN

Save Pulau Kukup National Park - second largest mangrove island in the world. Sign The Petition

Like this newsletter? Pease consider donating to MAP to keep it going. Giving could never be easier

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UPCOMING EVENTS

2019 Environmental Science and Climate Change Conference September 10-11, 2019
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REGISTER NOW



Restoring natural forests
Restoring The Natural Mangrove Forest
Watch movie

Tanzania CBEMR
Community Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration in Rufiji Delta 
VIEW VIDEO

Video: Mangroves for the Future - A look bacK. As the latest phase of Mangroves for the Future (MFF) draws to a close, this video highlights some of the project’s most successful initiatives – from local women supporting national park management in Viet Nam to an island in the Maldives that has become a model for waste management, and everything in between. View Here

Making the case for Emergency Climate Change Action

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MAP 2019 Children’s Calendar  CLICK HERE

You can help ensure that the knowledge and skills needed to conserve and restore mangroves is preserved in coastal communities READ MORE

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
Follow and Join MAP!

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Like this newsletter? Pease consider donating to MAP to keep it going. Giving could never be easier

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

VOLUNTEER WITH MAP


MANGROVE ISSUES 

Want to learn more about mangroves?mangrove-action-project-presentation-1-1024.jpg?cb=1424228039
Our short presentation will give you a better understanding of the issues we are working to solve. WATCH PRESENTATION

What is CBEMR? Easy to follow fact sheet – CLICK HERE

What is EPIC? - The Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC) project:  the role of ecosystems as protective barriers against climate induced hazards

MANGROVES APP AVAILABLE
A pictorial field guide for easy identification of various mangrove species and learning about the mangroves ecosystem. CLICK HERE

View MAP’s uploaded Videos at MAPmangrover’sChannel
Question Your Shrimp Consumer/Markets Campaign!  
WATCH VIDEO

Mangrove Restoration in Asia – Watch Short Video

The Value of Mangrove Forests View Video

CBEMR Experience Exchange MAP 2017 English Subtitles
VIEW THE VIDEO

Mangroves: Guidebook to MalaysiaClick Here
 
Mangrove rehabilitation in Asia – Local Action and cross-border Transfer of Knowledge for the Conservation of Climate, Forests and Biodiversity VIEW VIDEOS HERE

SHARE MAP'S VISION 
CLICK HERE to watch short introductory video. Together we can work "at the roots of the sea".

Our short documentary, Reducing the Risk of Disaster through Nature-Based Solutions : Mangroves
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Exclusive Interview with Alfredo Quarto, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mangrove Action Project - See more


Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum

The Marvellous Mangroves Education Forum is an online hub for those utilizing the Marvellous Mangroves (MM) Curriculum. It gives students, teachers and anyone interested in mangroves, the opportunity to learn and share ideas themed around the curriculum, to connect and communicate with others around the globe whilst exploring mangroves from your computer or on the go. VISIT

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The award-winning Marvellous Mangroves (MM) curriculum educates children on the importance of mangroves and their ecological functions, teaching them about modern challenges and mechanisms for sustainability. VIEW VIDEO

Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum in Bangladesh - WATCH VIDEO
MARVELLOUS MANGROVES IN BRAZIL
En Portuges

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Marvellous Mangroves – A Curriculum-Based Teachers Guide.


FOR MORE ON MAPs AWARD WINNING CHINA MANGROVE CURRICULUM VISIT
Education in the Mangroves - China
VIMEO SHOW
VISIT OUR "MM" WEBPAGE

Check out our presentation for more details on Marvellous Mangroves

Read this 10 page history of the development of MAP’s educational curriculum VIEW DOCUMENT
 
Article in Canada's Green Teacher Magazine - Read More


Like this newsletter? Pease consider donating to MAP to keep it going. Giving could never be easier

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Green Planet Fundraising Assists MAP – LEARN MORE


 Volunteer Opportunities with Mangrove Action Project CLICK HERE


"Question Your Shrimp" Campaign

Question Your Shrimp- Don't Buy or Sell Imported Tropical Shrimp! Sign the Petition

Learn more about the affects of the shrimp industry on mangroves by visiting our blog
Editor’s Note: Mangrove Action Project’s Executive Director, Alfredo Quarto was interviewed about shrimp by Green Acre Radio’s Martha Baskin
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW

Sign the Consumer's Pledge to avoid imported shrimp


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We strive to keep active links in our newsletter. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, occasionally links to stories may become broken. If you find a link to a story is not functioning, please cut and paste the headline into your browser search bar. In most cases you should be able to locate the original story.







 

Mangrove Action Project

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MAP News Issue 593, March 9, 2024

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