In ecological restoration, the spotlight (not surprisingly) is on the success stories. But what about the epic failures - maybe there's something to learn from these too? In a new paper led by BlueCarbonLab PhD student Alexandra Rodríguez (congratulations Alex!), we explored global trends in applying decision science in mangrove restoration. Our paper finds that the use of decision-support frameworks and tools is increasing (yay!), but we still often lack consideration of social, economic, and ecological variables. I'm as keen as anyone else to roll up my sleeves and start restoring mangroves, but this due diligence is important and must not be overlooked. Fortunately, the availability of practical tools, frameworks, and support systems in the planning and implementation of mangrove restoration is growing, which will bring down costs. You can access the paper here: https://lnkd.in/gTSG8CuY Well done Alex in leading this paper and to the supervisory team that provided support: Micheli Costa Melissa Wartman Rifaee Rasheed Maria del Mar Palacios Deakin University #Mangrove #BlueCarbon #Oceans
This is great - congratulations Alex and team. I see a lot of people rushing to replant mangroves (often as offsets) thinking they’re a potential easy and quick fix to improving (or buffering) poor water quality, but without the understanding of whether sites are even suitable, or without any practical knowledge of how hard it can be to replant mangroves from seed or propagules (and how many will probably fail ☹️). More understanding and due diligence is definitely needed if we are going to successfully restore our coastlines. Great to see more information on this getting out there 👏🏽
Great paper. So easy to get things wrong or create local conflicts or disputes when rolling out such projects without understanding the community interests. Recurring theme is again that unless the project delivers a better economic alternative for the broader community you are setting it up to fail or facilitate enrichment by the part of the community that does not need it financially or would benefit most from the protection from the sea and improved ecosystems.
Dejan deZoysa
2mo
It is a very critical habitat zone. Composite values (primary data ) for emerging markets such as for biodiversity and ecosystem services in these habitat zones could increase levels of transparency as well as incomes for communities through payments for environmental services
ManyMangoes 🥭
1mo
This is an excellent paper highlighting the importance of balanced decision-making in mangrove restoration. Have you found that incorporating social and economic variables has significantly changed the outcomes of these projects? It would be insightful to learn more about how these comprehensive frameworks have influenced the success rates.
Fathima Mafaziya
2mo
Finished reading and couldn't agree more! Alexandra and the team have done a really nice job with this article. The depth of insight they've provided is both inspiring and invaluable. I share your sentiment in the conclusion... It sounds like your PhD on mangrove SES is shaping up to be a fascinating puzzle – best of luck with it! 😍
Alyce Greenwood
2mo
Wonderful! Huge congratulations Alexandra Rodríguez!
Professor | Co-Founder | Chief Scientist
2moInteresting paper. Thanks. Personally I have a growing fear of ‘tool’ overload. As a community we need to decide how many tools or systems is too many… I feel like I’m swimming in a sea of guidelines, tools and systems. Somewhere amongst all this is a space of onground hands-on experience.