To conserve or to plant? A deep dive into mangrove management

By Steve Misati, 2024 Ocean Restoration Steward and founder and director, Youth Pawa

Mangroves are often hailed as ‘guardians of the sea’: they store more carbon than any other ecosystem on Earth, and they provide livelihoods for local communities around the world.

But they’re also facing unprecedented pressures: more than half of the world’s mangroves are at risk of collapse by 2050.

On Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast, mangroves have suffered decades of neglect and exploitation. Now, community members are restoring them with the help of traditional knowledge passed down from their elders.

Both in Kenya and globally, the main strategy to restore mangroves has been to plant new trees. But is this the most effective strategy? A growing body of evidence suggests that a more effective approach might be to conserve existing mangrove forests.

The image of volunteers planting mangrove seedlings has become synonymous with conservation efforts. It is a heartening symbol of environmental stewardship. Yet beneath the surface of this well-intentioned endeavor lies a more complex reality.

This singular focus on tree planting often overshadows the critical importance of conserving existing mangrove ecosystems. Mature mangroves are complex ecosystems that have evolved over centuries, providing invaluable benefits to communities and the environment.

To plant or to conserve?

The charm of mangrove restoration is undeniable: images of volunteers planting saplings often capture the public imagination as a symbol hope for ecological recovery.

But restoring mangroves is a complex process. It’s not easy to replicate the ecological functions of a mature mangrove forest, and the survival rate of planted seedlings is often low.

That’s where conservation comes in. By protecting existing mangroves, we safeguard the wealth of ecosystem services they provide, including coastal protection from flooding and erosion, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and nursery grounds for marine life. These ecosystems also provide essential livelihoods for coastal communities.

“We emphasize the conservation of mangroves over planting as the only way of restoration,” says Dominic Wodehouse, executive director of the Mangrove Action Project.

“We don’t want to disturb the soil because that’s where the carbon is stored. We also want to try to make sure that we hold on to existing mangroves because they tend to be much more biodiverse than planted mangroves.”

We often see that conservation allows scientists, conservationists and other stakeholders to study these natural wonders and thus inform future restoration efforts and policies. It also ensures the continued provision of ecosystem services.

“Planting is a risk, and a lot of planting projects fail around the world,” Wodehouse continues. “We get all the goods and services that mangroves produce: the protection, the fuel wood, the palms and the alternative livelihoods from mature mangroves that already exist. So, we’d much rather try and keep those in the ground if possible.”

Conservation isn’t merely about abstaining from destructive activities. It involves actively managing and protecting existing mangrove forests. This includes addressing threats such as pollution, overexploitation and coastal development. Local communities often bear the brunt of these challenges while also being the primary beneficiaries of healthy mangrove ecosystems.

Mangroves are a lifeline

At Youth Pawa, we’re working to conserve and restore mangroves on the shores of the Indian Ocean near the Kenyan city of Mombasa.

For us as a community, taking care of these amazing trees isn’t about preservation. It’s about active management and protection. It’s about recognizing their value and the services they provide to us.

“Mangroves basically are our lifeline,” says Athumani Mwero, a community lead from a Mkupe village. “They protect our homes from storm surges, provide fish for our families, clean our water and solidify our livelihoods. So for us, conserving them is not just about the environment – it’s about securing our future.”

I believe conservation should be given more emphasis in mangrove restoration, whereas tree planting should only be a last resort. The conservation of these precious trees must begin with stringent efforts to protect them by strictly enforcing laws against deforestation.

By ensuring that existing ecosystems are in place and thriving, we can curate restoration strategies that aim to mimic the existing nature around us.

“Conservation is about helping nature bloom,” says Hannah Mathenge, a local youth conservationist. “It’s about giving nature a chance to continue thriving, whereas restoration through planting is about ensuring the ecosystem doesn’t die out completely.”

For Mathenge, the dichotomy between conservation and planting-based restoration applies to humans, too. “An old man might have trouble walking, so you first encourage him to eat well, take vitamins and do lots of exercises – now that is conservation,” she analogizes.

“But if the man is not getting his energy back, you then give him a walking aid. Now that’s restoration.”

What next?

Planting has its place, particularly in severely degraded areas. But given its many downsides, from poor survival rates to lower levels of biodiversity and resilience, it’s essential to prioritize conservation.

By understanding and protecting existing mangroves, we can gain invaluable insights into their resilience and adaptability. This knowledge can then inform more effective restoration strategies when necessary.

It’s important to note that conservation and planting are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they complement each other. However, a disproportionate focus on planting new mangroves can divert attention and resources away from protecting existing forests. To protect the long-term health of these vital ecosystems, we need a balanced approach that prioritizes conservation while strategically implementing restoration where necessary.

Ultimately, the decision to conserve or restore mangroves through planting should be based on a thorough assessment of specific site conditions, considering factors such as the level of degradation, the presence of seed sources, and the capacity of local communities to participate in management.

After all, it’s only by adopting a holistic perspective and prioritizing conservation that we can ensure the survival and resilience of mangrove ecosystems for generations to come.

“What I say to communities is that these mangrove ecosystems are precious, so I hope you look after them,” Wodehouse says, recalling a case in Thailand where local people cleared a large area of mangroves to harvest wood for charcoal.

“They thought, ‘we’ve done all the mangroves, we’ll just go fishing.’ When they went there, there were no fish left. They learned their lesson: that mangroves are valuable ecosystems that we need to protect and nurture, not just cut down for charcoal and then not worry about it.

“There are consequences for losing the mangroves.”