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Project
IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Mangrove Specialist Group (MSG) – IUCN SSC MSG (FWOICA2)
In the recent decade, the world is slowly waking up to the importance of mangrove ecosystems.
These intertidal forests are not only hotspots of biodiversity, fish nurseries, coastline protectors and a source of livelihoods; they also store carbon at higher rates three times higher than any habitat on Earth; amongst numerous other benefits for both people and planet. Unfortunately, mangroves have seen a fearsome global decline over the past 35 years. Mangrove restoration efforts, when not backed up by science, often lead to very low success rates or failures, with major financial losses and erosion of public support. A recent scientific model however estimates that 6,600 km² of mangrove areas lost since 1996 are in fact ‘highly restorable’. The need to protect or successfully restore mangroves is hence set in stone in several international agreements e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity, Aichi Targets, UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, UN Ocean Decade and the Sustainable Development Goals.
These intertidal forests are not only hotspots of biodiversity, fish nurseries, coastline protectors and a source of livelihoods; they also store carbon at higher rates three times higher than any habitat on Earth; amongst numerous other benefits for both people and planet. Unfortunately, mangroves have seen a fearsome global decline over the past 35 years. Mangrove restoration efforts, when not backed up by science, often lead to very low success rates or failures, with major financial losses and erosion of public support. A recent scientific model however estimates that 6,600 km² of mangrove areas lost since 1996 are in fact ‘highly restorable’. The need to protect or successfully restore mangroves is hence set in stone in several international agreements e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity, Aichi Targets, UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, UN Ocean Decade and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Date:1 Jan 2023 → Today
Keywords:Mangrove
Disciplines:Conservation and biodiversity