Mangrove Restoration Safeguards for climate-resilient ecosystems and communities

The document outlines the necessity of social and environmental safeguards in mangrove restoration to prevent ecological disruption and socio-economic harm. It provides a framework of actions based on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) guidelines, covering areas such as environmental impact assessments, human rights, and gender equality. The brief highlights the Natur’ELLES project in Senegal, which has restored 123 ha of mangroves and 68 ha of continental forest while significantly increasing women's leadership in environmental management committees.

• Mangrove ecosystems have faced significant decline, with approximately 20%–35% of mangroves disappearing over the last 50 years. Between 2000 and 2020, aquaculture, rice cultivation, and oil palm plantations were responsible for 43.3% of global mangrove loss.
• Restoration failures are often caused by a lack of technical training in species and site selection, inadequate long-term monitoring and post-planting care, and poor coordination between implementing organizations.
• Effective restoration must move beyond measuring the number of seedlings planted or hectares restored. Success should be informed by biophysical variables—such as sediment budgets, geomorphology, and hydrological regimes—and long-term socio-economic indicators of stakeholder benefit and rights.
• The document proposes a safeguard framework based on CBD guidelines, recommending specific actions such as conducting gender analyses to prioritize vulnerable groups, performing tenure and access mapping to respect customary rights, and using inclusive climate risk assessments.
• The Natur’ELLES project in Senegal has implemented these safeguards by using local knowledge to select species based on salinity tolerance—favoring Avicennia in the hypersaline Sine-Saloum region and Rhizophora in Casamance—and has restored 123 ha of mangrove and 68 ha of continental forest.
• Gender-responsive programming in the Natur’ELLES project led to a three-fold increase in women's representation in environmental management committees over two years, with 45 women now holding decision-making positions across 10 committees.

APA

Lo, V. (2026). Mangrove Restoration Safeguards for climate-resilient ecosystems and communities. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-04/mangrove-restoration-safeguards.pdf

Chicago

Lo, Veronica. Mangrove Restoration Safeguards for climate-resilient ecosystems and communities. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-04/mangrove-restoration-safeguards.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lo |first1=Veronica |title=Mangrove Restoration Safeguards for climate-resilient ecosystems and communities |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-04/mangrove-restoration-safeguards.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lo2026mangrove, author = {Lo, Veronica}, title = {{Mangrove Restoration Safeguards for climate-resilient ecosystems and communities}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-04/mangrove-restoration-safeguards.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }