Mangrove Action Project

MAP performs Restoration Training and Consultation services, Raising Awareness activities, and Youth Education. -Restoration Training & Consulting: MAP delivered community-based ecological mangrove restoration training workshops across the Bahamas, Ecuador, Kenya, and Indonesia, training over 300 participants including community members, government officials, NGO staff, and academics. MAP also held a virtual training series with WWF for projects in Mexico, Colombia, Madagascar, and Fiji. This "climate-smart mangroves learning journey" focused on climate-resilient restoration techniques and fostered progress across diverse global projects. MAP conducted follow-up visits in El Salvador and Mozambique. In El Salvador's Bay of Jiquilisco, MAP revisited restoration sites from 2011, where local communities and NGOs have restored hundreds of hectares without planting, relying on natural regeneration through over 10 km of dug channels. In Mozambique, MAP advisors supported restoration sites, offering technical guidance on mangrove management. Site consultations in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh's Sundarbans strengthened local restoration efforts, with MAP supporting NGOs and communities to address environmental pressures through targeted assessments and collaboration. MAP's newsletter for restoration practitioners reaches over 2,000 subscribers. Each issue curates critical updates, research, and global events in mangrove conservation, reinforcing MAP's role as a trusted resource and leader in the field. MAP's global email group of restorationists has grown to 600+ members. This active community of practitioners shares knowledge, experiences, and resources to improve mangrove restoration success worldwide, fostering a collaborative network committed to mangrove preservation and sustainability. -Raising Awareness: MAP's outreach program raises awareness of the importance of mangrove forests to a global audience. The Mangrove Photography Awards are endorsed as a UN Decade programme, garnering global attention with coverage from BBC News, The Times (London), the Guardian, Geographical and more, and were featured in UNESCO exhibitions in Thailand, Paris, and India. Video productions promoted on our YouTube channel garner thousands of views, including the award-winning production, "Return of the Mangroves." -The Youth Education program co-published the Coastal Education Guide, a schools curriculum designed for use in the Cayman Islands and adaptable for other nations with mangrove seagrass and coral ecosystems. 20 class lessons and 17 field trips engaged more than 800 students. The 22nd annual Children's Art Contest received entries from 245 young artists from 35 countries, raising awareness and inspiring more than 9,000 thought-provoking submissions since its inception.