TDA-IME Project Final Report June, 2013 Despite government replanting programs, plus numerous donor-supported and private sector-sponsored projects, mangrove rehabilitation efforts have not been sufficient to offset earlier mangrove losses. Mangrove forests have not yet recovered back to more than twothirds of their original estimated extent. The major reason is that government mangrove planting schemes have usually fallen short of their targets. In Thailand, for example, the area of planted mangroves increased by only 20,000 rai (3,200 ha) annually between 1992 and 1996, but the target area was about three times greater (40,000 ha, compared to 13,568 ha actually planted (DMCR, 2009; TDA-IME Project Thailand country report, 2012). Another major shortcoming of mangrove rehabilitation programs has been that replanting sites have been poorly documented. Even where the data on current mangrove forest area is considered to be accurate, there is usually almost no qualitative information provided about the forest status in terms of its ecological integrity. The information on mangrove area usually does not identify healthy mangrove forest from degraded areas, or whether the forest cover is original (primary), secondary growth, or plantation mangrove. Mangrove replanting programs have often under achieved, not only in terms of the areas rehabilitated, but also in relation to forest quality, which has an important bearing on ecological integrity. Lack of quality control over propagule or seedlings supplies for planting, and inadequate monitoring of the survival and growth of planted mangroves, are common weaknesses. Planting is often performed in straight lines with a single mangrove species for cost and propagule-availability reasons, rather than trying to mimic nature in terms of species zonation and vegetation distribution characteristics. These practices have been much criticized (Quarto, 2012). Even if healthy propagules or seedlings are planted, there is often high mortality due to insect, barnacle or algae infestations, or physical damage by tidal and current action. The results are failure, or very “patchy” mangroves that may not constitute a functional forest in ecological terms. If mangrove ecosystems are to fulfill their full potential as providers of multiple goods and services there must be a sea-change in government policies towards effectively conserving large areas of mangrove forest, plus the marine and freshwater hydrological systems that ensure the integrity of the coastal ecosystem. Present day economic valuation estimates of each hectare of mangrove forest do not present the true (full) value of mangrove ecosystem services, especially those related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, which include food provisioning, carbon sequestration, shoreline protection, and storm and flood mitigation. National legal frameworks commonly relate to the environment and forests in general, rather than to mangrove specifically, and enforcement of environmental, forestry and fishery regulations remains weak in most countries. There is growing interest in integrated coastal management, but this will require government agencies to move away from sectoral management. Moreover, considerable capacity development will be needed to improve coastal area planning; and significant improvements in institutional coordination and cooperation will also be required. Most countries are interested in integrated management of the coastal zone, but appropriate governmental restructuring, together with the development of a sound understanding of integrated approaches that also incorporate ecosystem-based management, will take years to achieve. Positive changes in the way that mangroves and other coastal resources are managed will certainly require a considerable investment in institutional capacity development and training, not least by international donors and regional projects. Recommendations Based on this policy and institutional assessment, a number of possible actions and other recommendations are provided in Sections 5 and 6 of this report. In summary, they include the following key actions: 53
Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis of Indochina Mangrove Ecosystems
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