Building Mangrove Resilience to Climate Change

WWF is working with governments, communities and other stakeholders to

understand the potential impacts of climate change on natural systems and to

integrate adaptation strategies into their natural resource management plans.

Mangrove forests – the guardians of tropical coastlines – are among the many

ecosystems that will be lost or negatively affected by climate change unless

adaptive management strategies are developed for them. Many human livelihoods

will be affected as well.

Mangroves occur most extensively on low-energy, sedimentary shorelines of the

tropics, in intertidal areas such as deltas and estuaries. Their unusual aerial roots

are an adaptation to their salty environment. These trees act as nurseries for fish and

invertebrate species that later live on coral reefs and in the pelagic zone,

and they control aspects of

water chemistry in coastal

zones. They provide food, fuel

and other services to human

communities. And they serve as

a critical buffer against storms

and other extreme events.

During the 2004 Asian tsunami,

areas with intact mangroves

suffered significantly less

damage than areas where they

had been cleared.

Yet mangroves are among

the most critically threatened

ecosystems in the world –

threatened by conversion for

aquaculture, agriculture and

tourism; by unsustainable

fishing and harvesting of wood

products; and by altered salinity and sediment levels due to upstream pollution

and development. In a growing number of countries, 50-80 percent of mangroves

have been cleared in the last two decades. Less than 1 percent of the remaining

mangrove forests are adequately protected. The impacts of climate change,

particularly sea level rise, will make conditions even more precarious for mangroves

and heighten the urgent need to improve their management and protection.

With support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through UNEP DGEF, and

in close collaboration with a range of global, national and local partners, WWF

is working to understand the threats of climate change to mangrove ecosystems

and to protect mangrove areas of high biodiversity. The project seeks to build the

capacity of natural resource managers to (1) assess the vulnerability of mangroves

and associated coastal ecosystems to expected climate change impacts, and (2)

develop and promote adaptation strategies that respond to these impacts. This effort

will run through June 2010, with further activities now being planned beyond that date.

Project ActivitiesIn each project focal area (described on page 2), we are conducting detailed vulnerability assessments that combine remote sensing, stratigraphic analysis, site-based monitoring, community-based approaches and other methods.

This information is being used to formulate and test a range of adaptation strategies such as the designation and improved management of marine and coastal protected areas, reforestation with “climate-smart” mangrove species, more integrated coastal planning, and collaboration with local communities to improve natural resource use efficiency.

Global LessonsTesting vulnerability assessments and adaptation methods in geographically diverse locations within a common habitat type aims to increase their replicability, so that project results can be transferred to other conservation efforts around the globe. In 2010, the project will develop a generalizable methodology for assessing vulnerability and developing adaptation strategies in mangrove ecosystems. Produced in the form of a “toolkit”-style manual, this will be made available to practitioners around the world. We are already sharing lessons and testing approaches with other WWF offices working in mangrove areas from Belize to India to Madagascar.

Reducing the Vulnerability of Coastal Ecosystems

Building MangRoVE REsiliEnCE to CliMatE ChangE

Project Focal areas

1. Douala-Edea, Ntem, and Rio del Rey Estuaries, Cameroon The Gulf of Guinea contains Africa’s most extensive mangroves, which help to stabilize a large part of the West African shoreline. The area is already under considerable stress from urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, and timber and petroleum exploitation. The project focuses on the Douala-Edea estuary, near Cameroon’s commercial capital, Douala; the Ntem estuary, near Campo Ma’an National Park; and the Rio del Rey estuary in the vicinity of the proposed Ndongore National Park.

2. Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Seascape, Tanzania East African mangroves are among the most threatened in the world. In Tanzania’s Rufiji Delta, the main threats are cutting for charcoal, poles and timber, and unplanned rice farming. These problems are potentially compounded by the impacts of climate change. Extensive coral reefs in the area present an opportunity to integrate marine and terrestrial assessments and resource management adaptation strategies. Project activities are concentrated on the mangroves of the Rufiji Delta and adjacent reef areas on the west side of Mafia Island and northern Kilwa.

3. Fijian Islands Fiji has the third-largest mangrove area in the Pacific Island region. Climatic variation across the larger islands in Fiji influences mangrove distribution and ecology, and different locations are expected to experience distinct effects of climate change. Project activities are taking place in three areas: Verata; Tikina Wai, situated on Viti Levu; and Kubulau on Vanua Levu. The latter two are the largest islands of the Fiji group.

Jonathan CookWWF-us Climate adaptation Programjonathan.cook@wwfus.org+1 202-495-43831250 24th street, nWWashington, dC 20037-1193

Adaptation Examples• In Cameroon, WWF is funding

the construction of more efficient smokehouses, which are used by local communities for fish processing. Overharvesting of wood for this activity is a big threat to mangrove forests.

• InTanzania,WWFisworkingwiththeForestry Division to replant and restore mangrove habitats degraded by illegal rice farming. This will enhance the resilience of these habitats to future climate impacts such as sea level rise.

• In Fiji, WWF is working with national stakeholders to mainstream mangrove protection into national adaptation planning, and helping communities to monitor local impacts of climate change through a “Climate Witness” program.

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WWF Mangrove Project Areas

Mangroves

Project Focal Areas

Photo credits. Front page, top to bottom: Mangrove trees affected by coastal erosion, Tanzania – © Joanna Ellison; Mangroves, Mafia Island, Tanzania – © Peter Denton / WWF-Canon; Mangrove sapling, Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania – © Peter Denton / WWF-Canon; Community members, Fiji – © Joanna Ellison. Back Page: WWF mangrove project areas map – © WWF-US; Fishing village, Cameroon – © Jonathan Cook / WWF-US. © 2009 WWF. All rights reserved by World Wildlife Fund, Inc. 10-09