We are now recognizing that a world without the rainforests by the sea wouldn’t just mean a dismal scenario for coastal communities, but would ultimately affect us all, and our planet.
With the ability to store vast amounts of carbon, mangrove forests are key to tackling climate change, but they are under threat worldwide.
This short film takes us to the Andaman Coast in Southern Thailand, and explores the importance of mangrove forests. Much like the rest of Thailand, huge areas of mangroves were cut down during the 80s and 90s to make way for shrimp farms. And as mangrove destruction continues globally at nearly 1 percent annually, attempts are being made to restore these carbon-rich forests.
We are introduced to Mangrove Action Project who have a unique approach to restoring mangrove forests: Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR). The approach facilitates natural processes and regeneration, resulting in the return of a biodiverse and healthy mangrove forest with positive impacts on a local and global scale, such as greater resilience to climate change and sea level rise. Local communities become guardians of their regenerating forests, securing a sustainable future for these habitats.
