Mangroves rehab: lessons & insights

Mangroves provide a range of ecosystem services. These largely include the provision of timber, fuel wood, medicines, natural dyes, honey, and marine food. They also help in regulating floods, erosion and saltwater intrusion; and protect coastal communities against the harsh impacts of storms and tsunamis. Further, there are several aesthetic and cultural services that mangroves provide, including those related to tourism, education, and local indigenous knowledge and traditions. Mangroves are confined largely to the tropics and sub-tropics. Among the continents, Asia has the most extensive mangrove forest cover, but with the most serious deforestation rates (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations [FAO], 2015). Mangroves, particularly in Southeast Asia, are globally distinguished for their high biodiversity (Tomlinson, 1986; Giesen & Wulffraat, 1998). Mangrove cover has been reduced from 6,025,000 ha in 2010 to 5,329,000 ha in 2015 (FAO, 2015). Many mangrove stands are on the brink of complete collapse after being converted to aquaculture ponds, agricultural farms, oil palm and settlement areas (Kathiresan & Bingham, 2001; Gevaña, Pulhin, & Tapia, 2019). Low awareness of ecological and economic values of mangroves also led to their neglect in national forest conservation and biodiversity protection plans (Snedaker, 1984).

Over the past two decades, mangrove conservation and rehabilitation have gained interests with the increasing recognition of their role to minimize the impacts of tsunami and storm surge (Garcia, Malabrigo & Gevaña, 2014; Gevaña, Camacho, & Pulhin, 2018). Further, mangrove plantation development was also driven by the increasing demand for fuelwood, poles, charcoal and woodchips, and more importantly, because of their ecological ecosystem functions (Aksornkoae & Kato, 2011). However, numerous planting efforts implemented were unsuccessful due to the lack of science-based approach guidelines (Primavera & Esteban, 2008; López-Portillo et al., 2017).