Mangrove Action Project’s Annual Report for 2013

Mangrove  Ac,on  Project  PO  Box  1854  Port  Angeles  WA  98363,  USAmangroveap@olympus.net  +13-­‐60-­‐452-­‐5866  hKp://mangroveac,onproject.org

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Table  of  Contents:

-­‐  Executive  Director’s  report                            3

-­‐  MAP’s  Programs/  Projects  in  2013                          5

• Community-­‐Based  Ecological  Mangrove  Restoration  (CBEMR)              5• Working  With  Local  Communities  to  Conserve,  Restore  and    Manage  Their  Coastal  Resources                        7•   The  Marvelous  Mangrove  Curriculum                      8•                    The  Question  Your  Shrimp  Public  Awareness/  Markets  Campaign                9•                    The  Biweekly  Electronic  MAP  News                                        11•   Children’s  Mangrove  Art  Calendar                                                                11•   Organizational  Capacity  Building                                          12

-­‐ Annexes                                                  13

All  photo  credits:  MAP  staff2

From the Executive Director:

2013 has been a significant year for the mangroves- more organizations and scientists are drawing attention to the enormous value and benefits of these ecosystems that can be at the forefront of climate change mitigation. Mangroves are able to sequester up to 5 times more CO2 than any other type of forest. This valuable carbon sink has far too often become a carbon source when huge swathes of mangroves are cleared for unsustainable developments such as shrimp farming.

One can only postulate about how much more severe was the recent typhoon in the Philippines where over 2/3 of its protective mangrove “bioshield” was lost in the last 50 years to aquaculture and other coastal development. We do know that man will never be able to create a stronger, healthier, and more adaptable mangrove buffer zone than nature can.

Island and coastal communities living by the sea are becoming more vulnerable due to sea level rise. Yet, recent research shows that mangrove habitats are responding by elevating their soil surface and preventing massive coastal erosion, another reason to work with rather than against these vital wetlands.

And finally we mention destructive development, such as the proposed thermal power plant in Rampal, Bangladesh, to sound the alarms that even the largest mangrove forest in the world, and one of the last remaining strongholds of the magnificent Bengal Tiger- the Sundarbans- is under serious threat and urgently needs our help.

We at the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) realize the need to expand the level of our work to meet the immense challenges we now must face! We greatly appreciate all those who have supported us, as you really do have a huge impact on our projects and us. We sincerely hope that our program updates and visions for the upcoming year will excite and convince you to participate as best you can to help MAP Save the Mangroves. For further information please visit our new interactive and engaging website www.mangroveactionproject.org showcasing all of the work we are involved in, as well as holding an enormous amount of information about mangroves. We encourage you to sign up to receive biweekly news on all things mangroves, and use the new social media features to promote and spread awareness on all we are doing.

2013 MAP’s 21st Year in the Struggle to Save the Mangroves:In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (called Yolanda in the Philippines), the vital role that mangroves play in lessening the force of wind or wave again comes to mind. The enormous value of mangroves as coastal buffers against hurricanes, typhoons or even tsunamis cannot be forgotten. The role of mangroves in combating climate change also needs spotlighting; they can sequester and store more carbon per acre than any other forest ecosystem, and store this carbon for hundreds, if not thousands, of years in their peat soils when left undisturbed. It is with this backdrop that I wish to highlight the work that MAP has performed over the last year.

MAP continues its core programs around the world involving conservation/restoration, education, advocacy, networking and local community development initiatives.

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MAP’s Programs/Projects in 2013 include:

1) Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR)

Mr. San Win from Myanmar visits MAP’s CBEMR site in Tale Nok Village Ranong province, Thailand as part of his MSc research on mangrove management.

CBEMR projects were undertaken in Thailand and Cambodia, and plans set for further work in El Salvador with a women’s NGO called Mujeres de Salvadorenos de Manglares (MSM). Last year in El Salvador the Ministry of the Environment was so impressed with MAP’s CBEMR methodology that its principles for mangrove ecosystem restoration were officially incorporated into El Salvador’s National Environmental Plan and National Wetlands Restoration Plan. MAP, working with MSM, is now planning a second series of CBEMR training workshops and restoration projects in El Salvador, followed by similar projects in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

MAP participated in several regional training workshops in Asia in order to promote Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration. Ning Jaruwan Enright, MAP-Asia’s Field Project Coordinator, presented at the “Carbon was Stock Assessment and Emissions Inventory in Asian Mangroves: Executive Summary for Policy Makers” held in Bangkok in April 2013. The workshop was co-organized by USAID/RDMA (Regional Development Mission for Asia) through their Low Emissions Asian Development (LEAD) program, the US Forest Service (USFS), and CIFOR. There were 40 participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Ning presented experiences implementing CBEMR in Thailand at the session on “Mangroves and Adaptation to Climate Change”. Ning was also on the plenary panel’s discussion panel with the training instructors. One of the main points she emphasized was the importance of gaining access to the degraded mangrove area in order for restoration to take place. In MAP-Asia’s experience, the complexity of land ownership in coastal areas of Thailand and time spent securing

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sites has greatly slowed the restoration process. The workshop was a great opportunity for MAP-Asia to share experiences in the region and to re-connect with mangrove network friends representing both NGOs and governments.

This year MAP-Asia facilitated a number of informative CBEMR field study visits to regenerating sites in Ranong, Krabi, and Trang provinces in Thailand for students, researchers, NGOs and the media. Visitors could learn first-hand from the demonstration sites and by talking with community representatives who were directly involved. In line with the goal of further disseminating the CBEMR method MAP-Asia organized an intensive 3-day training workshop in December for 20 community and NGO leaders which taught both the theory and practical field skills advancing this innovative working-with-nature technique. The training took place under the Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC) http://www.epicproject.net   project with support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety’s International Climate Initiative (BMU-ICI). EPIC is an IUCN project, which will showcase how Ecosystems-based Adaptation (EbA) can help Disaster Risks Reduction (DDR) and make livelihoods more resilient in six countries in Asia, Africa and South America.

MAP-Asia staff continued to restore abandoned shrimp ponds and degraded areas of mangrove back to healthy mangroves in Trang province under the four year Global Nature Fund (GNF) project funded by Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Foundation Ursula Merz. "Mangrove Restoration and Reforestation in Asia: a Project for Knowledge Exchange and Action to Reduce Climate Change, and Protect Forest and Biodiversity" is a regional project involving NGO partners in Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand with the objective of restoring 100 ha of mangroves, building local management capacity, undertaking environmental education and supporting local livelihoods of communities undertaking mangrove rehabilitation. Three of MAP’s staff joined the project’s annual partners meeting to share experience in Cambodia hosted by the NGO, Fisheries Action Coalition Team (FACT). Project webpage: http://www.globalnature.org/mangrove-network/

2) Working With Local Communities to Conserve, Restore and Manage Their Coastal Resources

Mr. Niyom Thongmuean, (Nick) Project Field Officer Working in Thai Communities

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Local community involvement in coastal resource conservation and management is an essential ingredient to promote a roadmap for long-term success in mangrove conservation and restoration. MAP is expanding its work with local communities while fully engaged in CBEMR work. In Thailand, two villages on Phra Thong Island, Ban Tha Pa Yoi and Ban Lions (Pak Jok), established protected areas in seagrass meadows near their communities in July 2011. Those meadows are important sources of marine invertebrates that are harvested for local consumption and for sale outside the community. The most important invertebrates are the dog conch and the sea cucumber, also known as sandfish. The purpose of the protected areas was primarily to protect those species from over-exploitation. They are easily overharvested because they are found primarily in intertidal seagrass meadows which are open to access by all members of the community, as well as outsiders, without need for equipment or specialized skills.

The purpose of this MAP project is to support the initiative of the two communities to maintain and manage their mangrove and seagrass protected areas, both now and in the future. It is our hope to continue to foster this kind of community involvement in other environmentally sensitive areas where MAP is present.

3) The Marvelous Mangrove Curriculum

Belize: Martin Keeley Teaches About Effects of Oil Spills On Bird Feathers

In 2013, MAP’s Education Director, Martin Keeley, has extended the reach of the ‘Marvellous Mangrove’ Curriculum into Belize, China, Australia, Kenya and Bangladesh. Using the formal education process to educate future decision makers about the true value of mangroves is essential if we hope to see future generations conserve their coastal wetlands. The Belize adaptation of ‘Marvellous Mangroves’ was completed with new additions including ecotourism and water quality. Both sections aimed at integrating formal school education with community activities. Two teacher workshops were held in Belize in a continued push to introduce the curriculum to the entire country. Work is underway with our Belize partner, the Southern Environmental Association (SEA), to expand and introduce the curriculum for use in high schools. A MAP/SEA Restoration Guide using the EMR process is also part of the Belize project and will be launched next year.

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Credit: Omar Sierra

Another training workshop for teachers was held in Xiamen, China in conjunction with the Chinese Mangrove Conservation Network. MAP also co-produced a 25-minute video on the 3-day teachers’ workshop, which is also being used in further outreach efforts. Video: Marvellous Mangrove - China

Work is now underway to establish the curriculum in Australia. Our partner is the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) based in Bundaberg, Queensland. Already adaptations to fit the curriculum to the local mangrove ecology are in process, with plans being made for a teachers’ training workshop sometime next year. A new addition to Marvellous Mangroves for Australia is a colorful mangrove “nylon zoo” project with costumes and a huge inflatable mangrove tree created by festival artist Evelyn Roth to be used for younger children and at festivals.

Each time the curriculum is introduced into a new nation, it must first be adapted to fit the regional ecology, biodiversity, geology, plus existing curriculum and community use, as well as translated into the local language. Introduction of the Curriculum into Bangladesh began in 2013, working with the community-based NGO CLEAN Khulna (formerly Humanity Watch). Local translation and adaptation is now being undertaken by the local working group members. Teacher workshops are planned for late next year. MAP continues to help with positive steps to save the Sundarbans as part of its ‘Save the Sundarbans’ Campaign which was initiated earlier. Martin Keeley has also begun work in developing the curriculum for introduction into Kenya, working with MAP’s longstanding advisor and mangrove expert, Dr. James Kairo in Mombasa, and local NGOs.

4)The Question Your Shrimp (QYS) Public Awareness/ Markets Campaign

Since its founding in 1992, MAP has been opposing further encroachment of shrimp farming into mangrove areas. Shrimp aquaculture is still a leading cause of mangrove loss. In an effort to tackle

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the present annual rate of 1% loss of mangroves, MAP is bolstering its Question Your Shrimp campaign, establishing a Seattle-based office in a shared space in Seattle’s International District. In November, MAP welcomed Vanessa Lopez as the new QYS Campaign Coordinator based in Seattle. She brings lots of good energy and fresh ideas to the campaign.

Vanessa Lopez, the new QYS Campaign Coordinator based in Seattle

MAP’s QYS Campaign remains tied in with the global campaign linking North America, Europe and the Global South. QYS continued its efforts to reduce mangrove loss by reducing demand in the northern hemisphere for imported farmed tropical shrimp. Given that approximately 75% of shrimp consumed in the US occurs in restaurants, MAP has chosen to focus on asking chefs to take the Chef’s Pledge to not buy or serve imported, warm-water shrimp. In the summer of 2013, several gifted interns joined the QYS team, carrying out a broad survey of chefs and restaurant owners to better understand how to motivate more chefs to take the Pledge. In the last two summer months of 2013, five more chefs signed onto MAP’s Pledge, promising to purchase only local shrimp caught or produced in the USA and Canada. A total of two-dozen Seattle area restaurants had signed the Chefs’s Pledge by year’s end. MAP also worked to encourage the public to sign our Consumer’s Pledge, which by year’s end had gathered over 800 signatures. The Consumer Pledge is available on MAP’s website.

5) The Biweekly Electronic MAP News: MAP will publish its 330th edition of the MAP News by the end of the year. MAP’s biweekly electronic newsletter continues to be a key vehicle for MAP’s networking and advocacy work to defend the world’s mangroves, sharing information globally and sending out urgent action alerts. Sam Nugent continues as MAP’s editor, which is sent out to over 3,500 contacts in more than 60 nations. MAP’s News is one of the longest running newsletters on mangrove issues, commencing in 1998, which has won some international acclaim as a valuable news source.

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6)Children’s Mangrove Art Calendar

Each year MAP invites teachers and their students from around the globe to participate in an international mangrove art contest. During the past 13 years of this exciting competition, an estimated 28,000 students and dozens of schools in over 36 nations have participated. They learn through their participation about the incredible beauty and biodiversity of the mangrove habitat.

Art contest participants in Krabi, Thailand on World Environment Day, June 5

Students attempt to depict through their art the answer to this simple, but intriguing question: “What do the mangroves mean to my community and myself?” They draw on what they have experienced firsthand during their young lives, or from school field trips into mangroves, and classroom studies. MAP’s Children’s Mangrove Art Calendar for 2014 was the 13th calendar production, with over 3,000 students from 12 nations participating. This project is a valuable educational tool for local communities, teachers and children between the ages of 6 to 16. Already, plans are being made for the 2015 Calendar, and MAP’s 14th Annual Children’s Mangrove Art Contest is underway.

7) Organizational Capacity Building: MAP continues to work on meeting its needs in organizational capacity building so that we can face the demands as mangroves take on more and more importance in the world vision today. 2013 saw some progress in capacity building for Mangrove Action Project’s two main offices in the US and Thailand, with additional volunteers and interns furthering MAP’s efforts in our ongoing work both in Asia and the US.

The challenge remains to further increase MAP’s organizational capacity to ensure MAP remains on the cutting edge of mangrove conservation and restoration efforts. Towards this end, MAP continues to diversify its fundraising efforts, including revamping our website and increasing our effectiveness in utilizing social media, such as Facebook, blogs and twitter. Leo Thom in Thailand has been

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contracted to help with these functions, as well as to create several excellent short videos that depict MAP’s various programs in easily digestible forms.

Lisa Pau, who had anchored the new Seattle office, continued to recruit MAP volunteers and interns. This last summer, several excellent interns joined our Question Your Shrimp Campaign, helping with the recently started chefs’ survey.

In late November, Vanessa Lopez joined MAP’s staff as the part-time Question Your Shrimp campaign coordinator. She brings much energy and good organizing experience to MAP’s advocacy campaign. Setting up speaking events and tabling at various functions in the Seattle area will help spread the word about the issues MAP campaigns for, bringing to the forefront the problems associated with shrimp demand as a driving force of mangrove loss.

In review, this year has seen much change for both MAP and the mangroves. The challenges of the past year have made it clear that MAP must continue to extend and increase its efforts in promoting conservation, education, and community involvement. Progress has already been made toward some of these goals. MAP has taken steps to expand its reach in schools, in the online community, and across countries and continents. The community-based work and educational programs that MAP engages in are crucial not only to restoring and conserving mangroves in the present but also to ensuring their future and the future of those who depend on them. Through advocacy and action campaigns, MAP has helped to spread the word about the importance of mangroves worldwide. MAP’s continued efforts highlight the fact that society is integrally linked to mangroves, and as such has a responsibility to maintain healthy mangrove forests if we expect to continue to receive significant benefits that promote a healthy society and a healthy planet where life can flourish.

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OPERATING REVENUE 2013OPERATING REVENUE 2013 OPERATING EXPENSES 2013OPERATING EXPENSES 2013Balance Forward from 2012 $58,680.00

Income 2013 Projects $132,874.94

Grants/Foundations $120,416.00 Administration $16,332.29

Individual Donors $38,320.00 Fundraising $14,904.56

Calendar Sales $7,651.77 Total Expenses $164,111.79

Total 2013 Revenue $166,387.77

Total Revenue & Balance Forward Balance Forward 2014 $60,955.98 Total Revenue & Balance Forward $225,067.77 Balance Forward 2014 $60,955.98

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CBEMR  Training  workshop  in  Krabi,  Thailand  for  MAP’s  EPIC  project

MAP  uses  “Preemptive  CBEMR”  for  the  Girst  time,  preventing  mangrove  from  dying  due  to  poor  road  construction  through  the  mangroves

Members  of  Bang  Khao  Village  after  hydrological  mangrove  improvement’s

   

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Marvelous  Mangrove  Workshop  in  Bangladesh

Youth  Environmental  Education  Activity  in  Phang  Nga,  Thailand