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Mangrove ecosystem restoration
Discover why mangroves matter, and how our work turns restoration into resilience.
A short introduction to mangroves
Mangroves are uniquely adapted trees that thrive in the intertidal zones of tropical and subtropical coastlines. These remarkable ecosystems are characterized by their dense, stilt-like roots, which anchor the plants in shifting sands and muddy shores.
Mangroves are incredibly diverse, with over 70 different species known to science, each adapted to specific environmental conditions.
Their ability to grow in saltwater and brackish water, a feat few plant types can manage, makes them a vital component of coastal ecosystems.
The benefits of mangrove forests to coastal communities
Protection Against Erosion and Storms
Mangroves act as natural barriers against coastal erosion, storm surges, and tsunamis, protecting inland areas and reducing the impact of natural disasters on communities and infrastructure.
Carbon Sequestration
Mangrove forests are highly efficient at sequestering carbon dioxide, making them crucial in the fight against climate change. They store carbon both in their biomass and in the sediment below their roots.
Biodiversity Hotspots:
Mangroves are rich in biodiversity, providing habitat, nursery grounds, and food for a wide array of species, including fish, birds, and invertebrates. This biodiversity supports fisheries and contributes to the health of adjacent ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrass beds.
Water quality
The complex root systems of mangroves filter and trap pollutants, sediments, and heavy metals, improving water quality flowing into oceans.
Resilience
Mangroves are resilient to harsh environmental conditions, such as high salinity, extreme tides, and low oxygen levels in their soil.
The consequences of losing mangrove forests
Increased Vulnerability to Natural Disasters
Removing mangroves exposes coastlines to the destructive forces of storms and tsunamis, leading to greater damage, loss of life, and economic costs.
Loss of Biodiversity
The destruction of mangrove habitats leads to a decline in species diversity and abundance, affecting ecosystems and fisheries that rely on mangroves for nursery grounds.
Climate Impact
The removal of mangroves releases stored carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Additionally, the loss of these forests means the loss of one of the most efficient natural carbon sinks.
Increased erosion
Mangroves stabilize coastlines by trapping sediments with their roots. Without them, coastal areas become more prone to erosion.
Decreased water quality
Mangroves filter pollutants and sediments from water. Without them, water quality can decline, affecting both marine and human communities. This can lead to issues such as saltwater intrusion into freshwater areas.
Our model: from restoration to resilience
Mangroves remain among the most threatened ecosystems worldwide, cleared for short-term economic gain or lost to the accelerating pressures of climate change.
The loss of mangroves is never only ecological. It weakens the foundations of local economies, erodes cultural memory, and exposes coastal communities to great environmental risks and impacts of climate change. Restoration must therefore extend beyond planting trees: it must also restore the conditions under which communities and ecosystems can thrive together. This interdependence defines our approach.
Our model connects global climate goals to local priorities—linking finance, policy, and practice into a single, community-grounded framework for long-term resilience.
How our model works
Since 2012, we have restored mangroves in partnership with coastal communities, recognising that ecological and socioeconomic resilience are inseparable. After the Paris Agreement in 2015, we expanded into voluntary carbon markets to link global climate finance with local priorities. Today, this financing allows us to scale restoration while keeping projects rooted in the local communities.
At the heart of this model lies a benefit-sharing mechanism that channels carbon credit revenues into community-led development. Independent Village Development Committees define how these funds are used according to local priorities, and the activities are powered by the communities.
- Socioeconomic and ecological baselines mapping both the environmental context and community priorities from the outset.
- Benefit-sharing mechanism ensuring carbon revenue is directed fairly into development priorities led by the communities.
- Embedded local governance is reflected in our organizational structure: nationally recruited management teams, locally employed staff, and broader community employment in restoration and stewardship activities.
From restoration to resilience
Moving from restoration to resilience means going beyond planting mangroves. It means helping ecosystems and communities recover together—so forests thrive over generations, and people can build secure, sustainable livelihoods as their stewards.
We work toward this through integrity and integration. Integrity is about improving how we operate: being transparent, fair, and accountable, and learning from every project. Integration means connecting what often stays separate: climate finance, land governance, and community priorities. When these systems support each other, both ecological and social results grow durable.
The outcome is shared coastal resilience; healthy mangroves and community well-being.
Together with our partners, we work for coastal futures where ecosystems and people strengthen one another, restoring balance to nature, climate, and society.
Our Mangrove Gene Bank
Our Mangrove gene bank supports scientific research, helping us learn about the genetic traits that allow mangroves to survive in tough coastal conditions.
