Replication of Mangrove Restoration through "Sustainable Livelihood and Participatory approach”
Challenges
Our project aimed to develop community based, sustainable mangrove restoration to address the degradation of mangroves (challenge). The original solution is focused on the participatory mangrove plantation to address the reduction in mangroves, and we upgraded it with sustainable livelihood support in order to ensure both longterm and immediate benefit, which required additional funds. With the support of Blue Solutions, we could be able to replicate the original building blocks and additional livestock distribution amongst the community as a immediate benefit.
Description of the Uptake
The existing solution and proven success of the methods helped to replicate the mangrove nursery and plantation with the participation of local fishing communities, which portrays the original building block documented on the PANORAMA platform. We trained the fisher women groups on how to collect the mangrove seeds, raising nursery in their backyards and planting mangroves in the selected sites. The technical knowledge and experience, from the original solution, built a strong basis for local volunteers and staffs of our organisation to enable the replication process. Participants, learned that the seeds of the mangrove species Avicennia marina needs to be collected and submerged in salt water for 15 hours, or that the seeds are set for sowing in nursery bags. In addition to this, we provided livestock, goats and chickens, donations to each fisher family. Such very basic field knowledge is very important for high success rate of survival of mangrove restoration.
Success factors
- Mangrove restoration (the original panorama solution) is based on the traditional and scientific approach.
- Mangrove restoration is using locally available species that can withstand tropical summer and monsoon, so the seeds/propagules naturally spread to other areas ensuring the natural mangrove regeneration even after the project period.
- Goat rearing is the traditional practices, that needed no training. So, breeding of every goat ensures the more mangrove plantation, as per the agreement between OMCAR and the beneficiaries.
- Goat donation successfully replicate the livestock in past years by OMCAR, so which can be used for expansion of mangrove restoration. We use the livestock donations as a sustainable tool for planting more mangroves.
- We learned that the nature conservation project can generate a long lasting effect and support from the community, if it strenghtens livelihood of local community and involves them in conservation.
Stumbling factors
- Natural disasters like cyclones may affect the survival of planted mangrove seedlings.
- Covid related restrictions hindered the follow up project meetings and team work. Our initial work plan was disrupted by covid restrictions, but we resumed the project work in the later months.
- Number of goats has to be steadily increased through goat donation programme to ensure further mangrove restoration in other areas, which is affected by diseases and other illness. This reduced the interest of the beneficiaries, so we have been supporting them by conducting free goat health camps in villages.
- Mangroves and human settlement become more closer than before due to increasing structures like shrimp farms, human settlements, boats and cattle. So, finding a safe zone for mangrove plantation is not an easy process.
Replication methodology
Connecting the livestock donation with mangrove restoration was challenging in new community settings. The replication process needs the human resources from the local community as volunteers to work with our team.
As our mangrove restoration method is a community-based approach, our panorama solution built capacity and technical knowledge within the community. For example, fisher village women self-help groups and volunteers have been working as a key stakeholder of the mangrove restoration (solution), who helped in the replication process.
A peer-to-peer hands-on learning process was facilitated during the initial months of the replication process, so a team of people from the existing restored mangrove area visited to the new village (the new project area) for mangrove plantation site selection, explaining the methods of seed collection, segregation, nursery preparation and mangrove plantation methods to beneficiaries of the project
