Mangrove Action Project

Mangrove Action Project (MAP) is a US-based nonprofit which collaborates with individuals and organizations to preserve, conserve, and restore the world’s mangrove forests. MAP works through action, advocacy, and education to ensure that mangrove forests are healthy for both current and future generations. Mangrove forests are one of the most important and productive ecosystems on earth, providing a host of invaluable ecosystem goods and services to local people and the wider world. By working with forest communities, research academics, policymakers, and international funding bodies, MAP encourages the preservation and conservation of existing mangroves. They educate how to restore degraded mangrove ecosystems and encourage younger generations to take an active interest in their local mangrove forests. Their projects aim to facilitate the restoration of degraded mangroves whilst simultaneously enhancing the sustainability and quality of life for local communities. MAP works to determine where ecological and/or socioeconomic pressures are leading to current or potential mangrove degradation, and what can be done preserve and restore the forests. Their Community Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration project works with nature and takes into account mangrove ecology and biology to restore degraded mangroves by mimicking natural processes. Healthy mangroves are an essential life support system for coastal communities around the world. They provide communities with a sustainable living and reduce their vulnerability to disasters from natural events such as hurricanes and storm surges. Mangroves also have a big impact on the climate by absorbing up to four times more carbon dioxide than terrestrial forests and storing huge amounts of carbon in their sediments.