Mangrove Action Project (MAP)

🙌 What a wonderful event to wrap up 2024! The 1st International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference was a brilliant platform for international experts, researchers, and youth leaders to share their knowledge and insights with over 500 people from 82 countries! Here are some of the team’s highlights: 🎤 Conducting a collaborative workshop on conservation best practices with Wetlands International and Global Mangrove Alliance 🌍 Hearing key learnings from community groups based in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malaysia, the UAE, Indonesia, and beyond 🌳 Exploring local mangrove sites (and seeing flocks of flamingoes feasting on the shores!) 🤝 Catching up with old partners and meeting new ones 📸 Introducing visitors, media, and residents to the power of storytelling through our Mangrove Photography Awards Exhibition If you’re in Abu Dhabi, you can still check out the outdoor exhibition at Manarat al Saadiyat until February 2025. #MangroveConservation #NatureBasedSolutions

🌳 When is a mangrove forest not a forest? There are several different forms of mangroves around the world. Understanding what form you’re working with will help shape your restoration efforts. 👉 Swipe to learn more. #MangroveForests #Ecology

📸🌿 International delegates from the International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference explored the stunning Mangrove Photography Exhibit at Manarat Al Saadiyat’s outdoor gallery. This extraordinary exhibition, produced by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi under the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, showcases the beauty and importance of mangroves through captivating imagery, in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, UNESCO, Mangrove Action Project, and Manarat Al Saadiyat. Don’t miss your chance to witness nature’s coastal guardians up close! 📍: Manarat Al Saadiyat, outdoor gallery 🗓️: 10 December 2024 – 28 February 2025 🎟️ Free entry for all #MangroveRestoration #AbuDhabiMangroveConference #AbuDhabiMangroveInitiative #IMCRC #YearOfSustainability #Mangroves #NatureBasedSolutions #PlantToAction 📸🌿 استكشفت الوفود المشاركة في المؤتمر الدولي لصون أشجار القرم وتنميتها، معرض التصوير الفوتوغرافي المذهل لأشجار القرم في منارة السعديات. يضم هذا المعرض الاستثنائي، مجموعة من الصور اللافتة التي تستعرض جمال وأهمية النظم البيئية لأشجار القرم. ينظم المعرض هيئة البيئة – أبوظبي تحت مظلة مبادرة القرم - أبوظبي، بالتعاون مع دائرة الثقافة والسياحة – أبوظبي، ومنظمة اليونسكو، ومنظمة مشروع العمل من أجل القرم، ومنارة السعديات. لا تفوتوا فرصة مشاهدة صور حُماة الطبيعة الساحلية عن كثب. 📍 منارة السعديات 10 📅 ديسمبر 2024 – 28 فبراير 2025 🎟️ الدخول مجاني

🌀 It’s important to consider the knock-on effect of severe weather on coastal ecosystems. In Florida’s Everglades, satellite imagery shows that mangrove forests have been battered by hurricanes over the last few decades, leading to what researchers are calling “ghost forests”. More worryingly, as storms become more frequent and more intense, it’s putting mangroves’ resilience to the test. 🌳 The healthier mangrove forests are, the better they can protect coastlines from storm surge, wave damage, erosion, and flooding. Healthy mangrove sustain life. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/d-R67U3D #EvergladesNationalPark #MangroveForests

⚠️ Did you know that 1 in 3 people worldwide struggle with moderate to severe food insecurity? Mangrove conservation directly aligns with SDG Goal #2 in ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture. 🐠 Mangrove ecosystems are a valuable source of fish, providing a nutritious source of protein for over 200 million people who live nearby. What’s more, sustainable practices like aquaculture, beekeeping, and timber harvesting provide a livelihood for local villagers and families, often serving as the primary source of income for an entire community. Healthy mangroves sustain life. #SustainableDevelopmentGoals #MangroveConservation #NatureBasedSolutions

‼️ Let that number sink in! A new study by the UCSC Center for Coastal Climate Resilience has shown that mangroves provide $855 billion in flood protection services worldwide. If you ever needed to quantify the sheer scale of mangrove benefits, this is it. 🌳 But those of us in mangrove conservation already know of these benefits, many of which can’t be quantified. Their destruction puts billions of people’s lives and livelihoods at risk and impacts their quality of life. We have to come together to put nature-based solutions into action before it’s too late. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gVmM8HsG #ClimateResilience #MangroveForests #NatureBasedSolutions

Last week, I had the privilege of attending and contributing to the 1st International Mangrove Conservation & Restoration Conference in Abu Dhabi. Serving on the scientific organizing committee for this groundbreaking event was an honor, and seeing it come to life was both inspiring and hopeful for the future of mangroves. 🌱 Highlights for me included: - Teaching two workshops, sharing practical tools and strategies to advance mangrove restoration. - Screening Mangrove Action Project’s film, ‘Return of the Mangroves,’ with an audience as passionate and dedicated to these vital ecosystems as we are 🌍 Key Takeaways: - Protecting what we still have is paramount, in parallel to a global effort to restore mangroves - Effective mangrove restoration requires science-based and holistic approaches - Community involvement is essential for sustainability 💡 I leave the conference energized and full of hope. Seeing scientists, community leaders, policymakers, and NGOs come together under one vision reaffirmed what we all know: mangroves are not only critical but also deeply interconnected with our shared future—for coastal resilience, biodiversity, and climate action. A huge thank you to the organizing team, my colleagues at MAP, and all the inspiring participants who made this conference unforgettable. Together, we are paving the way for mangroves to thrive once more. Mangrove Action Project (MAP) Benjamin Christ Elena Roddom Dominic Wodehouse PhD Nessrine Alzahlawi Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) Dominic Andradi-Brown Mark Beeston Gheeda Jaouhari Amna Almansoori Leo Thom #MangroveRestoration #Conservation #IMCRC2024 #Mangroves

💚 Proud to share a special moment from last night’s Gala Dinner at the International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference, where our Creative Director Leo Thom presented and screened his documentary ‘Return of the Mangroves,’ filmed in El Salvador’s Bay of Jiquilisco. 🎬 The film follows MAP co-founder Alfredo Quarto and Jim Enright revisiting their restoration work 12 years after their initial mangrove restoration training - alongside Laura Michie’s assessment of the long-term effects on both the local community and ecosystem. It was deeply meaningful to showcase this story of community-led conservation success with colleagues we know care about the issue as much as we do. Thank you to everyone who joined us! #MangroveConference2024 #MangroveConservation #SaveTheMangroves #StorytellingForChange

📸 The day is finally here! We're thrilled to announce the opening of our mangrove photography exhibition at Manarat al Saadiyat, in collaboration with Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), and UNESCO. Under the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, this carefully curated visual journey celebrates mangroves’ crucial role in our planet’s future and showcases Mangrove Action Project (MAP)’s belief in the power of storytelling to inspire environmental action. Come witness - through the lenses of 40 remarkable photographers - the mesmerizing beauty of our world's coastal guardians. 📸 120 stunning mangrove images from around the world 📢 2 exhibits featuring Mangrove Photography Awards photos and UNESCO mangrove posters 📅 Running from 10th December 2024 until 28th February 2025 📍 Manarat al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi 🎟️ Free entry #ProtectTheRoots #Exhibition #MangrovePhotography #Biodiversity #AbuDhabi

🎤 What a session! Today was day 1 of the International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference, hosted by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and we were thrilled to host a parallel workshop together with members of The Global Mangrove Alliance and Wetlands International. This engaging and interactive session included: ✔️ Discussions on how our Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) and the GMA Best Practice Guidelines for Mangrove Restoration can complement each other for successful, sustainable projects. ✔️ Case studies to show restoration work around the world, including what works and what doesn’t. ✔️ Group exercises that encouraged collaboration for overcoming challenges like disrupted hydrology and aquaculture. If you’re in Abu Dhabi and missed it, come join us tomorrow! Register 👉 https://lnkd.in/dYpphaBE #AbuDhabiMangroveConference #MangroveRestoration