Fisherfolk who plant trees: Turning the tide on mangrove deforestation

The Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association (PIFWA) has planted 300,000 mangrove trees on Malaysia's west coast to combat deforestation caused by shrimp farming, infrastructure, and pollution. By combining silviculture with community education and monitoring, PIFWA has achieved a 90% tree survival rate and helped revive local biodiversity, including increased shellfish and crab populations. The association also operates a conservation education centre and a women's group, PIFWANITA, which develops sustainable forest products.

• The Penang Inshore Fishermen Welfare Association (PIFWA) has planted 300,000 mangrove trees and trained thousands of people in mangrove silviculture to protect habitats essential for livelihoods.
• Mangrove deforestation is driven by agriculture, development, shrimp farming, infrastructure, industry, tourism, over-harvesting for fuel and tannins, and pollution, as well as large-scale changes like rising sea levels and damming.
• PIFWA achieves a 90% survival rate for planted mangroves, significantly higher than the 10-20% seen elsewhere, due to the use of a nursery for saplings and active protection from monkeys and crabs.
• The association operates a conservation education centre, completed in 2012 with GEF SGP grants, which has hosted 10,000 visitors to teach mangrove care and resource management.
• Mangrove restoration by PIFWA has led to reports of increased shellfish and crab populations and improved fish catches in nearby waterways.

APA

Collins, A., & Bradbury, A. (2021). Fisherfolk who plant trees: Turning the tide on mangrove deforestation. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/fisherfolk-mangrove-deforestation/

Chicago

Collins, Amelia, and Adam Bradbury. Fisherfolk who plant trees: Turning the tide on mangrove deforestation. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/fisherfolk-mangrove-deforestation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Collins |first1=Amelia |last2=Bradbury |first2=Adam |title=Fisherfolk who plant trees: Turning the tide on mangrove deforestation |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=4 March 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/fisherfolk-mangrove-deforestation/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{collins2021fisherfolk, author = {Collins, Amelia and Bradbury, Adam}, title = {{Fisherfolk who plant trees: Turning the tide on mangrove deforestation}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/fisherfolk-mangrove-deforestation/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }