Información sobre el proyecto/actividad

From 1980 to 2005, the loss of mangrove forests had been estimated at about 35,600 km2 or one percent per annum. These rates are 3 to 5 times higher that overall rates of global forest loss. One of the problems for the loss of mangrove forests and associated ecosystems is related to the lack of appropriate and technically sound policies and/or management plans for sustainable management and utilization of mangrove forests.

The project is designed to provide the necessary information for the development of appropriate policies and/or management plans for sustainable management and utilization of mangrove forests through the production of educational book series on the environmental, ecological and socio-economic functions of mangrove ecosystems.

Three educational books to be published by the project include: Introduction to Mangrove Ecosystems; Structure and Function of Mangrove Forests; and Useful Products from Mangrove Plants. Written by mangrove experts, the books will be communicated in a language that is understandable, relevant and useful for all stakeholder groups which include governments, forest managers, research and learning institutions, private sector, and civil society. Case studies in each of the books will provide insights into regional experiences in the management and utilization of mangrove resources. These books will complement the other ITTO-funded publications of the World Atlas of Mangroves for Conservation and Restoration of Mangrove Ecosystems, and the Manual on Guidelines for Rehabilitation of Coastal Forests damaged by Natural Hazards in the Asia-Pacific Region. Published books will be downloaded from IGES’s website and disseminated through a workshop to be held in August 2011.