The document summarizes the work of the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) in restoring mangroves around the world through community-based ecological mangrove restoration (CBEMR) training and demonstration sites. MAP has provided CBEMR training in over 10 countries in Asia and Latin America. The summary highlights three case studies: 1) A 2009 CBEMR training and demonstration site in Thailand that engaged the local community and restored 0.7 hectares of mangroves. 2) A 1998 CBEMR training in Honduras that formed a mangrove conservation network. 3) A sustainable apiculture program in Thailand started in 2014 that provides an alternative livelihood for mangrove restoration. MAP also runs a mangrove education program called Marvellous Mangro

1. Mangrove Action Project
Innovative Mangrove Conservation Solutions

2. We provide training and demonstration sites for
sustainable methods of mangrove restoration
Since 2005, the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) has been
working with coastal communities in the Asia region to implement
Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR);
helping them to facilitate natural regeneration of their mangroves.
MAP has 15 CBEMR demonstration sites in 4 provinces in Thailand
with the first site completed in 2009. MAP has given CBEMR
trainings in Cambodia, El Salvador, Honduras, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Photo Credit : D. Wodehouse
Community participation to restore
natural hydrology at Ban Talae Nok, Thailand

3. Marvellous Mangroves, an integrated curriculum
connecting young people to the natural world
Educating children about the values and benefits of mangroves
is the solution to future mangrove conservation. The Marvellous
Mangroves (MM) training is an in-depth, hands-on, science-
based conservation education program, which has not only been
given to primary and secondary school children but also teachers
themselves. The curriculum is already used in 13 countries by over
250,000 students and 2,500 teachers.
Salt Taste Test in Cayman Islands
Finding out “All About Mangroves”
in Chapter 1

4. Photo Credit : Ben Brown
Encouraging a shift of focus from mudflat afforestation
to aquaculture pond restoration
Over half of the world’s mangroves have been destroyed, and in Thailand the main
cause has been shrimp-farming, which boomed in the 80s & 90s, but proved
unsustainable (most farms only functioning a few years) and has left an estimated
250,000 ha of abandoned shrimp farms along the coasts of Asia. Our vision is to
see these abandoned shrimp ponds restored back into lush mangroves with the
local people, ensuring they benefit from the return of the ecosystem services and
benefits mangroves provide.

5. Our award-winning method of CBEMR uses hydrological restoration to
facilitate the natural regeneration of mangroves. Restored and improved
hydrology facilitates the introduction of seeds and propagules to their
appropriate elevation, regenerating biodiverse mangrove forests, while
avoiding the problems of unnatural monoculture plantations, planted
without regard for mangrove ecology. Key to this project has been
the involvement of local communities at every stage, and raising their
capacity, allowing them to take stewardship of their coastal environment
and increasing their ability to do so sustainably.
Implementing a successful method
of mangrove restoration
Planning silvofisheries component within restoration site
with Community Conservation Leader at Klang Island, Thailand.

6. The CBEMR process starts with a lot of site
research and community engagement, finding
out, for example, the original reason for the loss
of mangroves and making sure these problems
are dealt with before proceeding. The research
continues on a nearby reference site (pictured)
before work commences, to understand how a
local mangrove ecosystem should work, what
species to expect, and how the hydrology works.
CBEMR is a more effective method than planting
alone, as it applies the published science to
facilitate nature to regenerate itself. Enabling
natural regeneration allows the different species
to find their appropriate zone, as tolerances to
inundation, soil types, salinity and other factors
vary by species, something that one-size-fits-all
hand planting ignores. If planting is successful,
the result is a monoculture which does not
resemble the previous forest and are not as
beneficial or resilient as the biodiverse mangrove
forests created through hydrological restoration.
CBEMR vs Hand Planting Trainees conducting a transect of a potential restoration
at Ahmyintgyun Village, Rakhine State, Myanmar.

7. PROJECT
Demonstrating Community Based Ecological
Mangrove Restoration at Ban Talae Nok, Ranong.
LOCATION
OUTCOME
CBEMR Training &
Demonstration Site
In 2009 MAP collaborated with IUCN and Mangroves
for the Future to implement CBEMR Training
Workshops in Ban Tale Nok, Ranong Province and
Krabi Town, Krabi Province, Thailand. It involved
field visits to previously restored mangrove sites
where participants were presented with discussions
regarding issues faced by each. The training involved
a mixture of presentations, learning exercises, and
Q&A sessions. Through the knowledge gained,
villagers were able to successfully restore 0.7ha of
mangroves using the principles and methods of
CBEMR.
CASE STUDY #1
Demonstration &
Training Course
Reclamation of an illegal shrimp farm
The project initially came about as a 2.4ha shrimp farm
was illegally constructed within the community mangrove
area - a common occurrence across Thai coastal forests.
Consultations with community and stakeholders were held,
to obtain a buy-in and to reach a resolution of land tenure
issues, in order to secure the restoration site. Workshops
then commenced. Successful project outcomes included:
Engaging and empowering the Ban Talae Nok community
fully in the mangrove restoration process
Training the community in CBEMR methodology with
community engagement and restored 0.7ha of abandoned
shrimp ponds back to mangroves.
Revising the EMR manual from participant input
Working with the community to develop a community-specific
mangrove resource management plan
The workshop also included a restoration site survey and
a reference forest site study, with the goal of restoring the
natural hydrology to the abandoned shrimp pond site.
Participants were engaged in Nypa planting, supplementary
livelihood development, and community capacity building in
natural resource management. The CBEMR workshop was
documented on video for future study and posterity.
Our key to success was working
together and sharing the benefits
equally. Don’t always look for direct
benefits from mangroves.nThere are
so many indirect ones.
- Ekakarat Cheangyang
Community Conservation Leader
& CBEMR Trainer
“
”
Villagers have seen a noticeable
increase in both vertebrates and
invertebrates at each restoration site.
The site at Ban Talae Nok is now
used as a demonstration site and
regularly visited by study groups,
homestay tourists and students.

8. PROJECT
Building a Mangrove Conservation Network
around the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras
LOCATION
OUTCOME
A group of trained and very mangrove-aware local
people and NGO staff. A nascent environmental
group strengthened and educated.
In 1998 the Gulf of Fonseca was devastated by
Hurricane Mitch. MAP’s second CBEMR training
session in Honduras brought together government
officers, NGOs staff including Goldman (Environment)
Prize winner Jorge Varela Marquez, members of
NGO Consultores en Desarrollo y Ambiente CODA,
and local people as well as experts from the region
to learn about the CBEMR technique and work on
a demonstration project together. This meeting of
minds and determination formed a network from
those present to patrol the gulf and try to persuade
local villagers and village leaders to reduce the cutting
of mangrove, at least until the ecosystem reaches a
new, sustainable equilibrium.
CASE STUDY #2
Training, Demonstration
& Networking
Mangrove Conservation Network
Outcomes included:
A successful, week-long training for 24 participants, greatly
raising their knowledge and understanding of mangrove
ecology.
In-depth training and discussions about the theory of
community-based ecological mangrove restoration, linked
carefully to mangrove ecology and hydrology.
CBEMR demonstrated on Isle de Pajaros (Bird Island, Lat
13.367503, Long -87.470506), an island in the gulf. This
island, in the middle of a very dynamic setting, suffered from
poor hydrology at its centre, which was negatively affecting
the trees. The team used this island to practice research
techniques learnt in first week, including conducting transects
and measuring spot heights, and successfully improved the
hydrology in the middle of the island, allowing the island to
drain effectively at lower tides.
A network, funded by the USFWS, has been established,
run by Jorge Varela Marquez and fishermen Jose Damilo
and Jose Leonidas, which has continued to engage local
communities to encourage them to restrain their villagers from
cutting mangrove. Since the training, the “mangrove rangers”
have encouraged local communities to sustainably manage
their surrounding mangrove wetlands for the benefit of all the
communities.
The workshops involved local
fishermen and their communities;
empowering them to better manage
their coastal resources.
- Jorge Varela
Biologist & Goldman Environmental
Prize winner
“
”
The concept of community
involvement in monitoring and
evaluation of the mangrove sites
was engendered and taken up as
vitally important by the participants.
These two workshops were made possible by
the generous funding and support of the US Fish
& Wildlife Service’s ‘Wildlife Without Borders-Latin
America and Caribbean Program’.

9. PROJECT
Mangrove Restoration and Reforestation in Asia,
a Project for Knowledge Exchange and Action to
Protect Climate change, Forest and Biodiversity
LOCATION
OUTCOME
Nai Nang Village Apiculture Group
“Nai Nang Honey” is produced by a beekeeping
collective in Nai Nang village, Krabi Province,
Thailand. The collective originates from a
conservation group, which aims to restore the
mangrove forest surrounding their village, and use
bees to assist with pollination. In 2014, several
members of the conservation group decided
to form an apiculture group to generate alternative
income from the honey products, with technical
training and assistance from MAP. Today, the
collective includes over 45 families who depend
primarily on traditional small-scale fishing, and farming
for their livelihoods.
CASE STUDY #3
Sustainable Alternative
Livelihoods
Mangrove Apiculture
The village now has more than 300 beehives and produced
270 kilos of honey in 2015. Through workshops, the group
has learnt to produce value added products such as hand
soap, shampoo and conditioner with the honey, and a village
Conservation Fund was established with 10% of all honey
and honey product sales.
In March 2016 the experienced members of Nai Nang
Village offered training in an apiculture workshop for another
village, Ban Ta-Sanook in Phang Nga province. Apiculture is
just one of many community initiatives providing prosperity
while preserving and enhancing the ecosystem services of
mangroves. Ta-Sanook is only at the beginning of the journey.
The next step is building the wooden bee-boxes so that wild
bees (Apis Cerena) can colonise naturally. The aim is that the
twinned communities are able to support each other in their
apiculture enterprise. As part of the project, the village has
also constructed a 70 m Mangrove Interpretative Nature Trail
which will be a great asset for the Environmental Education
program which will take place in the local school.
Today, the Nai Nang Apiculture Group has established
a partnership with the Marriot Hotel. The honey is also
showcased at Anantara Hotel’s breakfast buffets, with
information about Nai Nang and the Apiculture Group. There
are further plans to sell honey through their gift shop.
When MAP came, they showed
us what we already knew, but
highlighted exactly how to do it, and
told us to listen to what nature was
telling us.
- Sutee Pankwan
Head of Nai Nang Apiculture group
“
”
The hives have been incredibly
successful, and through further
seminars and workshops, the
villages are now producing honey
hand soaps, shampoos and
conditioners.

10. Our award-winning Marvellous Mangroves
curriculum educates children on the importance of
mangroves and their ecological functions, teaching
them about modern challenges and mechanisms
for sustainability. Integrated with local and national
curricula it encourages and facilitates students
to spend time in mangrove forests, including
participation in field studies, research and
conservation. The empowering process for both
students and teachers helps to create greener and
healthier learning environment inside and outside
of school.
Engaging tomorrows leaders
in real world issues
Water quality analysis during field study visit
“Exploring Mangroves” in Chapter 5

11. PROJECT
Marvellous Mangroves in Bangladesh
LOCATION
OUTCOME
Incorporation of MM into Bangladesh curricula.
Teacher Workshops across 6 regional schools.
A 360-page Bengali MM curriculum for teachers.
In 2013 MAP began collaboration with Coastal
Livelihood and Environmental Network (CLEAN)
to deliver MM Workshops into six rural schools in
Khulna, Bangladesh. Two days were spent “on land”
learning about the Sundarbans ecosystem and
carrying our MM activities, and this was followed
by three days aboard a boat which took the group
(including CLEAN staff and consultants) into the
Sundarbans themselves. All schools have since
established after-school Mangrove Science Clubs to
continue their Sundarbans explorations to teach their
fellow students and teachers.
CASE STUDY #4
Environmental
Education
The Sundarbans Outdoor Classroom
Outcomes included:
July 2013 MAP Education Director Martin Keeley visits
Khulna, Bangladesh, runs a series of introductory workshops
organized by CLEAN, and establishes a working group.
December 2014 – New Bengali MM Curriculum published
December 2014 – January 2015 – 5 day Marvellous
Mangroves Teachers’ Workshop with two students and two
teachers from each of six regional schools with specialised
support staff from CLEAN and MAP. In a stimulating
exploration of the Sundarbans, 2 days of workshops were
followed by 3 days of sessions on a live aboard boat. These
included visits to several sites where a variety of experiments
were also conducted. These included water quality
testing, microscopic analysis of water samples and wildlife
observation with binoculars and spotting scope.
January 2015 – Mangrove Science Clubs are established
at the schools involved in the workshops, equipped with
microscopes and hand lenses.
Knowledge-exchange workshops organised by teachers
and students means MM now continues to spread across
regional and national schools in Bangladesh. A partnership
has been established with Khulna University, where data
collected on field trips are being analysed and monitored at
the Environmental Science faculty.
Now I know the importance of
mangroves for our lives. So, I
have already started to organize
my classmates and other friends
to protect mangroves and other
species in my locality.
- Naimur Rahman
Student at Channir Chak LC
Collegiate School, Khulna
“
”
The children are providing a vital
avenue for increasing knowledge
of sustainable methods of living
with mangrove forests, into the
Sundarbans communities.

12. Mangrove Action Project
Core Team
Alfredo Quarto
Co-Director & Co-Founder
Alfredo is a veteran campaigner
with over 40 years of experience
in organizing and writing on the
environment and human rights issues.
Formerly an aerospace engineer,
his experiences range over many
countries and several environmental
organizations, with a long-term focus
on forestry, indigenous cultures, and
human rights. Prior to MAP, he was the
executive director of the Ancient Forest
Chautauqua, a multimedia traveling
forum with events in 30 West Coast
cities on behalf of old-growth forests
and indigenous dwellers. He also had
over a decade of prior experience
working with Greenpeace and Seattle-
based Freedom Fund, a human rights
organization.
Sara Lavenhar
Co-Director
Sara is a recent graduate of
Columbia University with a degree in
environmental science and sustainable
development. Introduced to MAP
as an intern in 2013, Sara has been
responsible for a wide range of duties
from website development to volunteer
and office management. Currently, she
works in Seattle where she oversees
fundraising, outreach, and operations
for the Mangrove Action Project. As co-
director, she is responsible for guiding
MAP’s transition and helping to set the
framework for the future, improving
program delivery and strengthening
outreach efforts.
Martin Keeley
Education Director
Martin is a pioneer of international
wetlands education. Starting 30 years
ago he worked with teachers and
scientists to develop an in-depth,
hands-on science based wetlands
education program and integrate it
with school curricula. The result was
the award-winning Travelling Wetlands
Roadshow. In 1998 Martin, with a
Masters in Education, adapted his
program for mangrove ecosystems for
Mangrove Action Project. That year he
moved to the Cayman Islands where
his Marvellous Mangroves Curriculum
has been taught since 2001. Marvellous
Mangroves has since been translated
and adapted for 13 countries world-
wide and has received awards for its
content and application wherever it is
introduced.
Jim Enright
Asia Coordinator
One of the main organizers and
facilitators of MAP, Jim is based in
Trang, Thailand. He has co-organized
and co-facilitated Community-based
Ecological Mangrove Restoration
technical training workshops in
Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, India,
Sri Lanka and El Salvador. Before
joining MAP in 2000, he spent 7 years
working with coastal resource issues in
Thailand, as a national park interpreter
in Khao Sam Roi Yot, Thailand first
coastal national park, and with the
Thai NGO, Yadfon Association, which
promotes community-based coastal
resource management (CBCRM)
with communities in Trang. Jim has
an honors degree in Environment
Resource Studies with a specialty in
international development.

13. Mira Maude Chouinard
Assistant Project Coordinator
Mira Maude Chouinard, MAP’s Latin
America Assistant Project Coordinator,
is a graduate of the University of
British Columbia with a degree in
environmental science and of Humber
College with a certificate in international
program management. She worked for
Falls Brook Centre and coordinated a
community resilience and mangrove
restoration project in Honduras, in
cooperation with local NGOs and the
multinational DOLE Food Company.
As they encountered issues with
the traditional planting method, she
discovered MAP and the CBEMR
method and was relieved to have found
a successful long-term mangrove
restoration method. She is fluent in
French, English and Spanish
Mangrove Action Project
Core Team
Udomsak Pariwatpan
Project Field Officer
Udomsak (Em) is MAP-Asia’s Project
Field Officer and holds a Bachelor of
Science (Technology for Marine and
Coastal Resources Management)
from Walailak University, Nakhon
Si Thammarat. He has 6 years
experiences working with Seub
Nakhasathien Foundation as a
Geographic Information System
(GIS) officer and has worked with the
Environmental Research Institute,
Chulalongkorn University for 8 months.
He also has skills on computer systems
and basic computer graphic design.
Em joined MAP-Asia as a field officer in
August 2015.
Pimaaksara Chalermwon
Office Administrator
Pimaaksara (Pick) is MAP-Asia’s
first Officer Administrator as of Jan.
2016. She joined MAP in Oct. 2015
as Project Officer Thailand to manage
the Community-Based Ecological
Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR)
project funded by Global Nature
Fund (GNF) Germany. She has six
years freelance experience with local
communities and has worked for The
Institute of Research and Development
(IRD) at Walailak University focusing
on community-based research with
villagers in Nakhon Sri Thammarat.
Pick has been involved in a project
called “Trang River Research” with The
Thailand Research Fund. She also has
journalism experience and has strong
skills in southern Thai culture.
Jaruwan Enright
Field Project Manager
Jaruwan (Ning) is a geographer who
specialises in mangroves and coastal
issues. She works for MAP in Trang,
Thailand, as a Field Coordinator/
Manager. She has a B.Sc in geography
from Chiang Mai University and an
M.Sc in Resource Management from
Kasetsart University. She has extensive
experience in community-based coastal
and mangrove projects including four
years at the Regional Community
Forestry Training Center (Center for
People and Forests) in Bangkok
and ten years working with MAP. At
MAP she has coordinated several
internationally funded projects, including
projects supported by the IUCN. Her
focus is community-based resource
management and environmental
education.

14. Leo Thom
Communication Specialist
A Visual Communicator born ‘83
in Tokyo, now based in Bristol, UK.
Leo’s background is in Landscape
Architecture and now specialise
in engaging animated shorts and
infographic stills that deliver core
messages, translating often complex
information into an understandable
form. Having co-founded and run
Room60 for 5 years he headed
to Asia to get more involved with
conservation and environmental issues.
Leo has been producing compelling
and informative animated shorts to
introduce and explain MAP’s various
programs and methods of mangrove
restoration.
Mangrove Action Project
Core Team
Robin Lewis
Technical Advisor
Roy R. “Robin” Lewis III, Certified
Professional Wetland Scientist,
President, Lewis Environmental
Services, Inc., Tampa, Florida, USA, has
more than four decades of experience
in marine wetland research, publishing
more than 100 scientific papers on
mangrove and seagrass restoration,
including a 250 page manual on
“Ecological Mangrove Rehabilitation”
and has worked in 11 foreign countries
on mangrove restoration projects,
including Nigeria, Vietnam, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Cuba, Mexico, and Costa
Rica.
Dominic Wodehouse
Technical Officer
After 10 years in advertising, working in
London, Kiev, Jakarta and Bangkok for
various multinational agencies, Dominic
changed direction to follow a passion
for trees, working as a professional
arborist in the UK while taking an
MSc in Sustainable Development at
Imperial College London, in order to
move into mangrove conservation.
He worked as a mangrove technical
officer with Wetlands International and
at the same time with MAP, supporting
field projects and teaching CBEMR in
Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and
Honduras. He continues to volunteer
for MAP, while currently writing-up a
PhD at Bangor University (UK), looking
at community mangrove management
and restoration.

15. For further information or to discuss
partnership opportunities please contact:
Alfredo Quarto or Sara Lavenhar
info@mangroveactionproject.org
Mangrove Action Project
606 Maynard Ave S Suite 102, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Tel: (+1) 330 732-5728
Web: www.mangroveactionproject.org
Registered Charity #20-0833537