Building Mangrove Resilience to Climate Change

Reducing the Vulnerability of Coastal Ecosystems

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 Activities
In each project focal area (described
on page 2), we are conducting detailed
vulnerability assessments that combine
remote sensing, stratigraphic analysis,
site-based monitoring, communitybased 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 Lessons
Testing 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.

Building Mangrove
Resilience to Climate Change

1
2
3
WWF Mangrove
Project Areas
Mangroves
Project Focal Areas

Project Focal Areas

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.
In Tanzania, WWF is working with the
Forestry 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.

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

1. Douala-Edea, Ntem, and Rio del Rey Estuaries, Cameroon

The Gulf of Guinea contains Africas 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 Cameroons commercial capital, Douala; the Ntem estuary, near Campo
Maan 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
Tanzanias 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 Cook
WWF-US Climate Adaptation Program
jonathan.cook@wwfus.org
+1 202-495-4383
1250 24th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037-1193