Policy challenges and approaches for the conservation of mangrove forests in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Many drivers of mangrove forest loss operate over large scales and are most effectively addressed by policy interventions. However, conflicting or unclear policy objectives exist at multiple tiers of government, resulting in contradictory management decisions. To address this, we considered four approaches that are being used increasingly or could be deployed in Southeast Asia to ensure sustainable livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. First, a stronger incorporation of mangroves into marine protected areas (that currently focus largely on reefs and fisheries) could resolve some policy conflicts and ensure that mangroves do not fall through a policy gap. Second, examples of community and government comanagement exist, but achieving comanagement at scale will be important in reconciling stakeholders and addressing conflicting policy objectives. Third, private-sector initiatives could protect mangroves through existing and novel mechanisms in degraded areas and areas under future threat. Finally, payments for ecosystem services (PES) hold great promise for mangrove conservation, with carbon PES schemes (known as blue carbon) attracting attention. Although barriers remain to the implementation of PES, the potential to implement them at multiple scales exists. Closing the gap between mangrove conservation policies and action is crucial to the improved protection and management of this imperiled coastal ecosystem and to the livelihoods that depend on them.

Mangrove forest dynamics in Tanintharyi, Myanmar from 1989–2014, and the role of future economic and political developments

“…Moreover, storms in Tanintharyi are less severe than those that occur further north (most recently Cyclone Nargis) and hence, rehabilitation projects are less likely to be damaged, increasing rehabilitation success (Primavera et al ., ). If planned correctly and within a clear governance framework, ongoing political and economic reforms have the opportunity to improve mangrove management and rehabilitation by reforming complex natural resource governance arrangements and providing opportunities for novel public‐private financing and management of mangrove resources (Friess et al ., ). This will require the better protection and governance of mangrove forests, as currently less than 40 per cent of Tanintharyi's mangroves are legally protected (Connette et al, ).…”

The state of the world’s mangroves in the 21st century under climate change

“…Mangrove loss in the early 21st century has declined from expected highs in the mid-to late 20th century (Spalding et al, 2010), with a global-scale remote sensing study showing that annual rates of mangrove deforestation averaged 0.2-0.7% between 2000 and 2012 (Hamilton & Casey, 2016). Some of this apparent reduction may be due to methodological differences between surveys and studies, though improved conservation successes can be an important factor as a number of countries have introduced conservation and sustainable forest-management laws and pursued community-based management (e.g., Chen et al, 2009;Friess et al, 2016), which may explain some of the reduction in deforestation rates.…”

Drivers of mangrove ecosystem service change in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh

“…However, a number of respondents reported that violations of these regulations are rampant, as many people are involved in illegal logging, poaching of wildlife, and using banned and destructive fishing practices such as poison and fine‐meshed nets, and catching undersized species. These situations are common in mangroves in many countries across the tropics, where economic resource objectives at the provincial level clash with broader national obligations for habitat conservation (Primavera, ; Friess et al ., ).…”