TDA-IME Project Final Report June, 2013 103 SECTION 6 Conclusions and Recommendations Introduction The following are a broader set of conclusions and recommendations that emerged from the TDAIME Project 4th workshop, at which transboundary mangrove management was discussed with a particular focus on the following themes: Strengthening Policies and Governance over mangroves Ensuring the Ecological Integrity of mangrove ecosystems Assessing the future for mangroves in relation to Climate Change Improving Regional Cooperation for transboundary management of mangrove ecosystems Priorities for Transboundary Mangrove Ecosystem Management Several priorities can be identified for transboundary management to maintain the integrity of Indochina’s mangrove ecosystems, reduce further mangrove forest loss, and manage mangrove ecosystems sustainably in the face of climate change. 1. Halting further loss of the region’s remaining mangrove forests. On a global scale, and especially within Indochina, the main threats to mangroves have been degradation and conversion. The fundamental or “root” causes are population pressure and poverty, government development priorities and private sector profit-driven investments. Despite government-supported mangrove rehabilitation programs, plus NGO and private sector projects in a number of countries of the region, loss of mangrove forest area and ecological integrity continue. Moreover, globally only around 7% of mangrove forests are safeguarded within protected areas, and an even smaller percentage involve local communities as custodians. Recommendations Based on the success of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries in Southeast Asia (which includes aquaculture), it is recommended that a Regional Code of Conduct on the Sustainable Management of Mangrove Ecosystems be developed, as a tool to inform government policy makers, planners, and the private sector about mangrove ecosystems. It is further recommended that a regional study is undertaken to assist countries to identify national policies that may actually be contributing to mangrove loss, or are failing to protect mangroves due to e.g. an inadequate regulatory framework, or lack of enforcement capacity (or will). Countries should also be assisted to identify additional mangrove areas that could be given protected area status, at the same time safe-guarding the rights of local communities. Priority should be given to designating regionally significant and representative mangrove sites as protected areas that can contribute measurably to the genetic diversity and ecological integrity of the region’s mangrove ecosystems. 2. Improving the areal estimates of mangrove forests and including qualitative assessment of ecosystem integrity based on common regionally agreed criteria (e.g. vulnerability index). There remains considerable uncertainty about the areal extent, species composition and ecosystem integrity of mangroves in most countries. This can be attributed to the use of different methodologies for mapping mangroves, and the inclusion by some countries of severely degraded mangroves in the national inventory. Since vulnerability to further degradation, and the ecological
Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis of Indochina Mangrove Ecosystems
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