Enhancing Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Areas and Communities: Mangrove Rehabilitation/Restoration Works in the Gambia

Abstract

Growing awareness of the protective, productive, and social functions of the tropical mangrove ecosystem has highlighted the need to conserve and manage them sustainably. The majority of these efforts with community implication are oversimplified planting projects, largely attempts to force mangroves to grow in intertidal mud flats, usually below mean sea level, where mangroves simply do not grow due to poor understanding of the ecological and requirements of mangroves, and the processes which lead to their establishment and early growth. Restoration principle and methods have been applied mindful of the challenges of development projects and their impacts and the difficult terrain.

This chapter while promoting active and passive restoration approaches focus of this “how-to-do” to bring community animators or practitioners through the major steps of a mangrove rehabilitation project. It is organized as follows: gives an overview of wetland restoration and a general overview of restoration of wetlands with the viewpoint on basic concepts, principles, and the reason for restoration and existing methods and case studies of restoration, dwells on restoration issues dealing with aspects of mangrove dispersal and propagation and its limits, and involves community in mangrove replanting and potential cost for restoration. And finally it covers relevant aspects and techniques of monitoring mangrove nurseries and plantations for health and growth necessary for evaluating mangrove restoration projects and programs.

In structuring an appropriate response to manage mangrove sustainably through restoration, within an integrated context in the Gambia, it is necessary to recognize that there are yet many information gaps (technically, financially, etc.) and constraints.

Appendix 1 Principles of Restoration (Prepared from USEPA 2000; Ajonina and Tata 2006)

Basic principles of restoration	Description
Need for a national program and priorities for wetland restoration	This should be established, based on a national inventory of wetlands with potential for restoration, as a component of the national wetland policy, plan, or strategy, so as to maximize the benefit to the overall conservation status and wise use of wetlands of the efforts and resources applied to wetland restoration
Need for clear understanding and statement of goals, objectives, and performance standards	Should be taken as an element of national planning for wetland conservation and wise use. If a project hopes to promote a return to pre-disturbance conditions, this should be stated as part of the project goals, with more detailed information on exactly how to incorporate restoration into project objectives
Need for careful planning at all stages	This will limit the possibility of undesirable side effects. For example, careful planning can allow restoration projects to avoid problems such as increased numbers of mosquitoes, unwanted flooding, or saltwater intrusion into sources of drinking water. To assist in planning, an assessment should be made of the features of the site under consideration and the factors that may affect its feasibility and success
Maintaining natural processes	Natural processes and existing conditions should be considered during project selection, design, and development. To the extent that is possible, ecological engineering principles should be applied in preference to methods requiring hard structures or extensive excavation. Maintenance and conservation of existing wetlands is always preferable and more economical than their subsequent restoration. Moreover currently available restoration techniques almost never lead to conditions that match those of pristine natural ecosystems. As a corollary to this, trading high-quality habitat or ecosystems for promises of restoration should be avoided except in the case of overriding national interests. However, restoration of individual sites can contribute to ongoing management of existing high-quality wetlands by, for example, improving overall catchment condition and contributing to improved water allocation management
Scale of wetland restoration planning	Whenever possible, the minimum acceptable scale for wetland restoration planning should be at the catchment level. Individual, relatively small restoration projects targeting a single wetland can be valuable provided that they are planned within the context of the catchment. Wetland restoration planning should not ignore the value of upland habitats and linkages between upland and wetland habitats. Wetland restoration planning should consider water allocation principles and the role that restoration can play in maintaining ecological functions of wetlands
Stakeholders’ participation	Wetland restoration should be an open process that involves local community stakeholders as well as stakeholders who will be affected by a project even though they may be geographically distant from the project, for example, stakeholders living well downstream. All stakeholders, including local communities and indigenous people and sectoral interests both in situ and ex situ, should be fully involved in a wetland restoration project from its earliest stage of consideration through its implementation to its long-term stewardship
Long-term stewardship and monitoring	Restoration requires long-term stewardship, including ongoing management and monitoring. Successful restoration should be designed, as far as possible, for self-maintenance, but it also generally requires a constituency that understands the need for long-term stewardship, the resources required to support this stewardship, and a commitment to delivering this stewardship. Development of incentive measures can make a valuable contribution to the long-term success of a restoration project
Indigenous traditional knowledge	Wetland restoration planning should incorporate, where practicable, knowledge of the traditional resource management that contributed to shaping the landscape. Incorporation of traditional environmental knowledge, management, and sustainable harvesting practices by local people should be an integral component of restoration
Adaptive management	The principles of adaptable management should be applied to restoration projects. As a project develops, modifications may be necessary to accommodate unforeseen developments and take advantage of newly acquired knowledge or resources. Any modifications should be designed in the light of evaluation of the project against its established goals, objectives, and performance standards
Disseminate success stories	Successful restoration projects can provide inspiration and stimulus for continuing stakeholder involvement and for the development of further projects and programs. Information on proposals for, and the results and successes of, a restoration project should be widely disseminated both in scientific and technical fora and as popular information accessible to stakeholders
Awareness generation	Restoration interventions should be coupled with measures to raise awareness and influence the behaviors and practices that led to the degradation of the ecosystem, in order to ensure that the causes, as well as the effects, of degradation are addressed. These actions provide a further mechanism for landowners, resource users, and surrounding communities to be drawn into restoration projects