Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (Aug 2022)
When nature needs a helping hand: Different levels of human intervention for mangrove (re-)establishment
- Martin Zimmer,
- Martin Zimmer,
- Martin Zimmer,
- Gordon N. Ajonina,
- Gordon N. Ajonina,
- Gordon N. Ajonina,
- A. Aldrie Amir,
- A. Aldrie Amir,
- Simon M. Cragg,
- Simon M. Cragg,
- Stephen Crooks,
- Stephen Crooks,
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas,
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas,
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas,
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas,
- Norman C. Duke,
- Norman C. Duke,
- Sara Fratini,
- Sara Fratini,
- Daniel A. Friess,
- Daniel A. Friess,
- Daniel A. Friess,
- Véronique Helfer,
- Mark Huxham,
- Mark Huxham,
- Kandasamy Kathiresan,
- Kandasamy Kathiresan,
- K. A. Sunanda Kodikara,
- Nico Koedam,
- Nico Koedam,
- Shing Yip Lee,
- Shing Yip Lee,
- Mwita M. Mangora,
- Mwita M. Mangora,
- Mwita M. Mangora,
- Jurgenne Primavera,
- Jurgenne Primavera,
- Behara Satyanarayana,
- Behara Satyanarayana,
- Behara Satyanarayana,
- Jean Wan Hong Yong,
- Jean Wan Hong Yong,
- Dominic Wodehouse,
- Dominic Wodehouse
Affiliations
- Martin Zimmer
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
- Martin Zimmer
- Faculty 2 Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Martin Zimmer
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Gordon N. Ajonina
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Gordon N. Ajonina
- Department of Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, Institute of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- Gordon N. Ajonina
- Cameroon Wildlife Conservation Society, Mangrove & Coastal Wetlands Research Centre, Mouanko, Cameroon
- A. Aldrie Amir
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- A. Aldrie Amir
- Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
- Simon M. Cragg
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Simon M. Cragg
- Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
- Stephen Crooks
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Stephen Crooks
- Silvestrum Climate Associates, Sausalito, CA, United States
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
- Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit (SERM), Department of Organism Biology, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
- 0Ecology and Biodiversity, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
- Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
- 1Interfaculty Institute of Social-Ecological Transitions, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Norman C. Duke
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Norman C. Duke
- 2Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Sara Fratini
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Sara Fratini
- 3Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Daniel A. Friess
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Daniel A. Friess
- 4Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Daniel A. Friess
- 5Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Véronique Helfer
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
- Mark Huxham
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Mark Huxham
- 6School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Kandasamy Kathiresan
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Kandasamy Kathiresan
- 7Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India
- K. A. Sunanda Kodikara
- 8Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
- Nico Koedam
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Nico Koedam
- 0Ecology and Biodiversity, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
- Shing Yip Lee
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Shing Yip Lee
- 9Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mwita M. Mangora
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Mwita M. Mangora
- 0Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Mwita M. Mangora
- 1Western Indian Ocean Mangrove Network, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Jurgenne Primavera
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Jurgenne Primavera
- 2Zoological Society of London, Iloilo City, Philippines
- Behara Satyanarayana
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Behara Satyanarayana
- Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit (SERM), Department of Organism Biology, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
- Behara Satyanarayana
- 3Mangrove Research Unit (MARU), Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
- Jean Wan Hong Yong
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Jean Wan Hong Yong
- 4Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
- Dominic Wodehouse
- IUCN-SSC Mangrove Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
- Dominic Wodehouse
- 5Mangrove Action Project, Seattle, WA, United States
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.784322
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 5
Abstract
Protecting existing mangrove forests is a priority for global conservation because of the wide range of services that these coastal forests provide to humankind. Despite the recent reduction in global rates of mangrove loss, high historical loss rates mean that there are at least 800,000 ha globally that are potentially suitable for mangrove re-establishment. Recently deposited mud banks or intertidal, previously terrestrial, land might provide additional habitat for expanding mangrove areas locally. There is a long history of mangrove rehabilitation. However, despite numerous good examples of, and growing expertise in, natural or assisted (re-)establishment activities, most mangrove planting efforts, for instance, either fail entirely or meet with only limited success. Exposed to waves and currents and subject to tidal inundation, mangroves differ from terrestrial forests, and approaches to, or tools for, terrestrial forest restoration cannot easily be transferred to mangrove forests. Successful mangrove (re-)establishment usually requires a robust understanding of the abiotic and biotic conditions of the chosen site, the ecological requirements of the mangrove species used or facilitated, the reasons for previous mangrove loss or degradation, as well as the barriers–both societal and ecological–that have prevented natural recovery to date. Because most mangrove forests are socio-ecological systems, with which local human populations are intimately engaged, (re-)establishment will normally require the support of, and engagement with, local communities and other local stakeholders. Here, we summarize where, when and why (re-)establishment of mangroves is needed and how to assess this need. We discuss a range of potential aims and goals of mangrove (re-)establishment along with potential pitfalls along the way from conceiving the initial idea to its realization. We compare different technical and conceptual approaches to mangrove (re-)establishment, their challenges and opportunities, and their design and financial requirements, as well as potential solutions. We ground our final outlook and recommendations on examples of successful efforts and the factors that rendered (re-)establishment successful in the past.
Keywords
