Registration and Coffee

Keynote Presentations

Natural capital-beyond climate mitigation: realising the full potential of blue carbon ecosystems to benefit people and planet. Carlos Duarte

Restoration of blue carbon ecosystems to benefit biodiversity and local communities. Valerie Haggar

Put the People First: lessons from community-based mangrove conservation using blue carbon finance. Mark Huxham

Blue carbon science: Evidence, policy, and credibility in conservation and restoration objectives. William Austin

Mangrove restoration: restoring, not simply planting. Frida Sidik

Coffee and Poster Session

Keynote Presentations

Blue Carbon in Mangroves: Estimations on a National Scale. Jorge Herrera-Silveira (Mexico) 

Blue carbon in a tropical mangrove as a baseline for restoration in Costa Rica. Jimena Samper-Villarreal (Costa Rica) 

Blue carbon stock of restored mangrove forests is lower than naturally recruited mangroves. Mark Ram (Guyana) 

Thirty-five years of mangrove planting leads to measurable increases in blue carbon stocks in the Arabian Gulf. Paul L.A. Erftemeijer (Arabian Gulf)

Mangrove conservation and restoration contributions to Indonesian NDC. Virni Budi Arifanti (Indonesia) 

Mangrove Characterization and Blue Carbon Credit Feasibility in Lamu, Kenya. Josphat Mtwana (Kenya) 

Lunch and Poster Session

Keynote Presentations

Climate Mitigation and Adaptation through Conservation and Restoration in Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Oswin S.D (Papua New Guinea) 

Community-led restoration: Lessons from a Blue Carbon Project in Sierra Leone. Sean Fitzpatrick (Sierra Leone) 

Building Small Islands’ Resilience through Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge and Science-based Approaches. Gusti Ngurah Paulus Widya (Indonesia) 

Assessing mangrove green-grey coastal defence opportunities in Southeast Asia. Daisuke Taira (Southeast Asia) 

Forecasting mangrove responses to climate change to inform robust management. Christopher Brown (Australia)

Coffee and Poster Session

Parallel Workshop: Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi Youth Council: Youth Efforts in Mangroves Restoration

Sustainable Campus Initiative is arranging an Environmental Youth Talk in line with the 1st International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference (10th -12th December) to mark youth presence and concern for the topic, highlight youth’s efforts in terms of mangroves plantation and monitoring, increase knowledge, awareness, and action and related to ecosystem restoration and coastal habitat conservation. The aims are to:

• Educate youth about the importance of ecosystem restoration and mangroves and their role to preserve the ecosystem.
• Highlight existing efforts and ways to amplify the efforts.
• Discuss challenges and solutions.

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority. 

Parallel Workshop: Coastal Biosphere Reserves for the Conservation and Restoration of Mangroves and other Blue Carbon Ecosystems

Mangroves and other Blue Carbon Ecosystems are known to sequester significantly more atmospheric carbon when compared with tropical rainforests, or any other types of forests; in addition they provide multiple benefits to people, fauna and flora. Globally, it is believed that > 35 % of the systems have been lost in post-industrial times. Therefore, these vital systems, including mangrove forests and associated seagrass beds needs urgently to be better conserved and protected from natural and men-made disasters, like cyclones, sea-level-rise, as well as they need to be restored from anthropogenic impacts, such as oil spills, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and urban encroachment. The UNESCO concept of Biosphere Reserves offers an optimum mechanism for the protection, as has been discussed during the 1st International Conference on Blue Carbon Ecosystems, National University of Yokohama (YNU), January 2023, and as revealed in the recommendation of the ‘Ridge 2 Reef’ Conference in India (November 2023). India’s 7,000 km long coastline, as well as the coastal and island zones of Sri Lanka, 1,192 islands in the Maldives, and dense coastal mangrove forests in Bangladesh have the potential to establish more coastal/marine Biosphere Reserves, including with the science-based management, conservation, and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. 

This session will explore the potentialities of establishing more UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in South Asia, as well as NE Africa, and other regions, globally, including a new concept of floating mangroves. The findings will be published in a volume of ‘Blue Carbon Ecosystems for Sustainable Development’ (Springer Nature & UNESCO).

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority.

Parallel Workshop: Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration and the GMA Best Practice Guidelines (Repeated from Day 1)

Join us for a transformative workshop that brings together global expertise on mangrove restoration best practices and innovative, community-driven solutions. This interactive session, hosted by Wetlands International and Mangrove Action Project, offers a unique opportunity to dive into two complementary frameworks essential for successful mangrove restoration: the “Best Practice Guidelines for Mangrove Restoration” and “Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration” (CBEMR).

With growing interest in large-scale mangrove restoration, understanding what works—and what doesn’t—is more important than ever. This workshop provides hands-on learning through case studies, group exercises, and dynamic discussions, all aimed at equipping you with the tools to tackle real-world restoration challenges. We will explore the CBEMR approach through the 6 guiding principles and the step-by-step project guidance within the guidelines, learning how to adapt these insights to fit local conditions and policy needs.

You will assess real cases of successful and failed restoration projects, gaining practical knowledge on overcoming challenges like high salinity, aquaculture, and disrupted hydrology. This engaging, informative workshop is ideal for practitioners, policymakers, and funders who want to make a lasting impact in mangrove conservation. 

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority.

Parallel Workshop: Mangroves and Finance: Strong Roots to Bear Fruits, Identifying Value Drivers Beyond Carbon and Nature

The importance of mangroves in disaster risk reduction, carbon sequestration and long-term storage, as well as the ecological support for fisheries and biodiversity they supply is well studied and globally recognized. What is less known is that according to IUCN more than 50% of mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse. This collapse threatens 2.1 million lives, the protection of 36 billion dollars’ worth of property value, 17 million days of fishing effort and the potential release of 1.8 billion carbon stored in said ecosystem.

The Mangrove Breakthrough - the global target to restore and protect 15 million hectares of mangrove and halt mangrove destruction by 2030 - with Systemiq, UN Climate Champions and the Global Mangrove Alliance developed a Financial Roadmap to help mobilize the estimated $4 billion investment needed between now and 2030 that could secure these valuable ecosystems.

Historically, there has been some difficulty translating conservation goals and results in bankable projects that go beyond carbon markets and ecosystem services. Recognizing this opportunity and the need to establish a constant flow of mangrove-positive businesses to absorb the resources that will be available, the Mangrove Breakthrough Financial Taskforce has developed a workshop that will help project developers go beyond mangroves when structuring their projects so that they can present the true value their project has and guarantee its long-term financing.

Identifying the important role that financiers in different stages will play in the success of this mission, the workshop will help them understand and identify opportunities in existing mangrove projects as well as potential mangrove-positive businesses.

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority.

FREE

Registration and Coffee

Keynote Presentations

Invisible players in key mangrove connectivity with adjoining ecosystems. Joe Lee

The Dynamics, Connectivity and Complexity of Mangroves. A Aldrie Amir

Restoring mangroves in the seascape to optimise outcomes for fish. Rod Connolly

Connecting the Dots: Seascape Approach for Holistic Marine Conservation and Restoration. Daniel Mateos Molina

Introducing the High-Quality Blue Carbon Practitioner's Guide. Mark Beeston

Coffee and Poster Session

Keynote Presentations

The world’s mangroves 2000-2020: Status, trends and drivers of change. Kenichi Shono (Asia Pacific)

Regional Perspectives on Mangroves in the Arabian Peninsula. Amna Al Mansoori (UAE)

The role of habitat connectivity in blue carbon and nature-based solutions. Stephen Carpenter (UAE)

Larval assemblages as indicators to compliment and inform connectivity and multi-species mangrove restoration. Lyle Vorsatz (South Africa)

Integrated Seascape Conservation: Halting the Cansaga Bay Reclamation Project. Dr. Filipina B. Sotto (Philippines)

Large-Scale Mangrove Restoration: Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Ben Scheelk (Puerto Rico)

Lunch and Poster Session

Keynote Presentations

Conservation for production? The benefits of mangroves for sustainable shrimp aquaculture. Aji W. Anggoro (Indonesia)

The Mangrove-Hinterland Interface and its Importance in Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Guillherme Abuchahla (Brazil)

Complex and Inconsistent Governance Risks Mangrove Restoration in the WIO Region. Mwita Mangora (Western Indian Ocean) 

Best practices in mangrove restoration: EMR in Guinea Bissau. Abdoulaye Ndiaye (Guinea Bissau) 

Multi-species mangrove restoration of crude oil impacted shoreline in Bomu. Nenibarini Zabbey (Nigeria)

Coffee and Poster Session

Parallel Workshop: Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool (Repeated from Day 1)

Restoration is a key component of global and national efforts to combat ecosystem degradation, reduce biodiversity loss, and adapt to climate change, and there is currently an impetus to scale-up restoration efforts. However, our ability to track progress towards restoration targets is limited by the lack of consistent and standardized data on objectives, interventions, and outcomes. To address this, the University of Cambridge and WWF on behalf of the Global Mangrove Alliance and in collaboration with conservation practitioners and scientists from around the world have developed the Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool (MRTT). 

The MRTT is an application to record and track outcomes from mangrove restoration projects. The MRTT records information across the lifetime of a project, capturing data describing the site background and pre-restoration baseline, the restoration interventions and costs, and post-restoration monitoring that incorporates both socio-economic and ecological factors. The MRTT has a flexible structure designed to capture field and desk-based data on mangrove restoration projects in a standardised format. The MRTT will allow decision-makers, practitioners, and site managers to access information essential in making informed, evidence-based decisions on restoration interventions to maximize impact and success. The MRTT data entry portal and global restoration project database is hosted on the Global Mangrove Watch platform.

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority. 

Parallel Workshop: Harnessing Blue Carbon: Integrating Mangrove Restoration and Community Engagement

Mangrove ecosystems are vital components of the coastal landscape, offering numerous ecological and socio-economic benefits. They play a crucial role in sequestering carbon, often referred to as "blue carbon," mitigating climate change impacts. However, widespread deforestation and forest degradation threaten their existence. This workshop explores the role that climate finance and the carbon market can play in community-based mangrove restoration, emphasizing community involvement as a cornerstone for successful restoration initiatives. It will provide examples and lessons learned from community-based blue carbon and mangrove restoration initiatives from diverse geographics in Africa, Latin America, and/or Asia. 

By engaging local communities in mangrove restoration efforts, not only do we address environmental degradation, but we also foster sustainable livelihoods, promote ownership and commitment to carbon credit projects, enhance resilience to climate change, and ensure the long-term conservation of these invaluable ecosystems. Community involvement at all stages of project development is critical to ensure that communities are not excluded from their natural resources, that communities benefit from ecosystem services provided by mangroves, and to avoid elite capture of mangrove carbon benefits.

Community engagement in blue carbon and mangrove restoration initiatives encompasses a spectrum of activities, including participatory decision-making, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. By involving local communities in every stage of the restoration process, from planning to monitoring, projects ensure their ownership and commitment, leading to greater success and sustainability. Moreover, these initiatives recognize and respect indigenous knowledge systems, integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific approaches for holistic restoration strategies. They balance the need for scientific assessments of carbon stocks and flows with attention and resources given to building trust, engagement and community empowerment. This workshop will highlight the importance of collaborative partnerships between governments, NGOs, academia, and local community groups in managing resilient and thriving mangrove ecosystems, ultimately promoting strong institutional mechanisms and contributing to global efforts in combating climate change and biodiversity loss.

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority.

Parallel Workshop: Introduction to the Climate-Smart Mangrove Decision Support Tool

Mangroves are highly vulnerable to climate change, as coastlines face increasing sea levels and extreme weather events. Yet, current mangrove management rarely explicitly consider and account for climate-related threats in their planning and activities. While scientific literature on mangrove vulnerability to climate change is expanding rapidly, user-friendly guidance for local decision-makers on how to ensure mangrove management and restoration is climate-smart is limited. In this workshop we will introduce the new Climate-Smart Mangrove Decision Support Tool – developed by University of Queensland researchers and WWF in Colombia, Fiji, Madagascar, and Mexico. The tool aids local decision-makers and conservation practitioners in selecting appropriate “climate-smart” actions to reduce the impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems. 

The tool is composed of an excel-based workbook and a guidance manual, which provide a step-by-step process for assessing climate vulnerability and selecting climate-smart management actions. There are 6 steps total, starting with Steps 1-3 which identify site-specific characteristics of climate change sensitivity, the relevant climate threats, and then vulnerabilities.  The socio-economic adaptive capacity conditions are assessed in Step 4, associated with the level of resources, community and political willingness, and organizational capacity and governance. Subsequently, steps 5-6 focus on the selection and prioritization of potential climate-smart management actions that directly address the pre-identified vulnerabilities. The tool can be applied at the start of new mangrove conservation programs or to those in progress, following the adaptive management cycle. This workshop will provide an overview of the tool, followed by an interactive case study where participants will use the tool to adapt a mangrove management plan and restoration project to make activities more climate-smart. Following the workshop, participants will be confident to apply the Climate-Smart Mangrove Decision Support Tool to their own circumstances to actively and adaptively manage their own mangrove projects to improve climate resilience.

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority.   

Parallel Workshop: Laying the Foundations for the Creation of a MENA Regional Learning Hub

National and regional stakeholders have been identified as the driving force of the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA) in achieving improved management, conservation and restoration of mangroves at local and national levels, and therefore reaching the global goal of a 20% increase in global mangrove cover. GMA has facilitated the establishment of national / regional chapters across several countries to drive on-the-ground impact and contribute to the overarching goals of halting mangrove loss, doubling protection, and restoring half of lost mangroves globally. 

Considering the unique Middle Eastern ecosystem – the need to drive awareness on science-led conservation best practices and enable sharing of knowledge + best practices + effective policies have been identified as the primary priorities, to be facilitated at a regional level within the purview of a proposed Regional Learning Hub. 

As the International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference will convene governments, practitioners, and stakeholders from across the globe, but also regionally - it offers a timely opportunity to connect in person, share insights from diverse contexts, celebrate progress, and inspire further action - in the presence of GMA’s leadership and teams. The aims are to:

• Identify priorities for the development of a collaborative learning hub at a regional scale - Identification of priority areas by mapping knowledge gaps.
• Initiate dialogues on best practices: mangrove restoration guidelines; protected area design and implementation; and restoration guidelines of associated ecosystems, e.g., seagrass, salt marshes.
• Enhance awareness and understanding of the Global Mangrove Alliance.
• Inspire the establishment of additional country/regional chapters by demonstrating the impact.

To pre-register for the workshop kindly enter your details here. We have a maximum capacity of 70-80 for the workshop and the first to pre-register will have priority.

The Mangrove Breakthrough

The Mangrove Breakthrough: Scaling Best Practices to Deliver Global Action on Mangrove Restoration

Closing Remarks

Field Trip 01: Nature Walk with a Bird Expert at Jubail Mangrove Park (x2 Trips)

Led by Emirates Nature-WWF/Connect with Nature Program and Dr Oscar Campbell

Participants will have the chance to experience a guided nature walk through the lush pathways of Jubail Mangrove Park, led by a bird expert. As they move through the mangroves, they’ll have the chance to observe bird species and learn about the unique mangrove ecosystem that supports them. They will also discover how mangroves serve as critical habitats for wildlife, providing shelter, food, and breeding grounds for various species. This immersive walk offers a deeper understanding of mangrove conservation and the rich biodiversity within these coastal forests.

Buses will be provided departing from the Bab Al Qasr Hotel at 8:00 am and returning to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel between 12:00 pm -2:00 pm.

Pre-registration required for the field trip – please pre-register here. Maximum capacity of 30 participants on each of the two trips (60 total).

Field Trip 02: Kayak 4 Conservation at Reem Central Park

Led by Emirates Nature-WWF/Connect with Nature Program

In this activity, participants will paddle through the mangroves to collect and log litter data! Using the SAHIM application, each item collected will be documented, feeding into litter monitoring efforts. This interactive activity provides participants with insight into the scale of pollution affecting mangrove ecosystems and highlights the role of data collection in shaping conservation initiatives and policies.

Buses will be provided departing from the Bab Al Qasr Hotel at 8:00 am and returning to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel between 12:00 pm -2:00 pm.

Pre-registration required for the field trip – please pre-register here. Maximum capacity of 60 participants.

Field Trip 03: Mangrove Monitoring at Jubail Mangrove Park

Led by Emirates Nature-WWF/Connect with Nature Program

Participants will engage in a hands-on mangrove monitoring activity focused on assessing the health of the mangrove ecosystem and its biodiversity through citizen science. This session will involve collecting data and making observations about the condition of the mangrove trees and the various species that inhabit this vital habitat. Participants will learn effective monitoring techniques, contributing valuable data to scientific research.

Buses will be provided departing from the Bab Al Qasr Hotel at 8:00 am and returning to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel between 12:00 pm -2:00 pm.

Pre-registration required for the field trip – please pre-register here. Maximum capacity of 30 participants.

Field Trip 04: Kayaking and Dragon Boat Field trip to Yas Island Mangrove Site

Provided by Quest for Adventure, at Yas Beach

• Arrival and registration of all participants
• Activity will begin with a safety briefing and issue of safety equipment
• Kayak or Dragon Boat or Power Boat to the mangrove site
• Guided site observations on foot walking on beach and in mangrove area
• Return from Island, review learning outcomes and departure

Buses will be provided departing from the Bab Al Qasr Hotel at 8:00 am and returning to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel between 12:00 pm -2:00 pm.

Pre-registration required for the field trip – please pre-register here. Maximum capacity of 40 participants.

Field Trip 05: Mangrove Restoration Site Tour at Hameem

Led by Al Mahara Diving and Distant Imagery Solutions

1. Guided Tour of Our Mangrove Restoration Site
• Detailed explanations of ongoing efforts to rehabilitate and protect mangroves, emphasising the technological innovations in our drone-led planting and monitoring.
• Insights into how our methods align with international restoration goals and contribute to biodiversity and climate resilience.

1. Drone Demonstration

A live demonstration of drone technology and the approach to site selection, seed germination, and monitoring.

1. Traditional Shasha Building / Wood Drone building
2. Bioblitz Activity

A 15-minute bio blitz session where participants will identify and catalogue local flora and fauna, with data reporting to the IUCN bio blitz official platform.

Buses will be provided departing from the Bab Al Qasr Hotel at 8:00 am and returning to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel between 12:00 pm -2:00 pm.

Pre-registration required for the field trip – please pre-register here. Maximum capacity of 40 participants.

Field Trip 06: Kayak At Jubail Mangrove Park

Led by Mangrove Adventures and Jubail Mangrove Park

1. One hour guided kayak tour of Jubail Mangrove Park
2. We encourage participants to bring:
• Refillable water bottles
• Comfortable, light, outdoor clothing
• Change of clothes, if needed
• Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen)
• Health and Safety - A comprehensive briefing will be delivered by the Field trip Providers to ensure participants are well-prepared for the field conditions. Trained first-aid certified staff will also guide all activities, adhering to safety protocols.
• Water shoes or old training shoes (not flip flops) that you don't mind getting wet and muddy. Shoes must remain on during the mangrove monitoring activity.
• Waterproof phone case with neck strap if you wish to take your phone with you.

Buses will be provided departing from the Bab Al Qasr Hotel at 8:00 am and returning to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel between 12:00 pm -2:00 pm.

Pre-registration required for the field trip – please pre-register here. Maximum capacity of 50 participants.