Mangrove restoration - Tropical Biology Association

Mangrove restoration

Globally, mangroves are being lost at a rate that is three to four times higher than the average rate of forest loss.

This TBA course – developed in collaboration with Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute and the Kenyan community initiative, Mikoko Pamoja – addresses the urgent priority to give African conservationists and project managers the skills they need to restore and manage mangroves sustainably.

The course programme will cover:

The ecology and conservation of mangroves, and drivers of degradation
Current tools and strategies for mangrove restoration
Selecting appropriate restoration sites and species
Mangroves as providers of ecosystem services
Understanding and engaging communities
Designing restoration plans and measuring impact

As the most important lessons are learnt in the mangroves themselves, participants will visit a healthy mangrove forest that just 15 years earlier was empty degraded land. They will learn how to design mangrove nurseries for healthy seedlings with the highest chances of survival once they are planted out. Importantly, they will also learn that the most cost effective way of restoring mangroves is to remove the threat in the first place and allow mangroves to regenerate naturally.

The course will bring together experts on mangrove restoration and will use case studies from Kenya and across the Western Indian Ocean region. Delegates will learn new techniques and gain experience about what works and what does not work and identify solutions for the future.

This course is funded by theWWF’s Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program.

Who is this course for?

African conservation managers, scientists and practitioners working in mangrove conservation.

Trainees will set personal targets that they wish to achieve over the 12 months following the course including submitting mangrove restoration plans.