Restoring the Natural Mangrove Forest

• This video begins by describing the importance of mangrove habitats in coastal communities as storm buffers, carbon sinks, and sites of great biodiversity.
• This video highlights an approach to restoring mangrove forests called Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration.
• The example of this approach is based in Thailand, where individuals from local communities apply restoration and hydrology techniques to bring back critically important mangrove forests that were decimated by shrimp farming.
• The video describes reasons why other restoration efforts have failed in the past, including planting monocultures or planting the wrong species of mangrove in the wrong place.

Positives

• This video highlights a lesser-known carbon sink, mangrove forests, and describes how coastal communities can be integral in restoring these ecosystems for the benefit of all.
• Interviews with local community members involved in the restoration project are translated and describe the methods behind the ecological mangrove restoration.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the concept of ecological restoration and the threat of climate change to coastal communities.

Differentiation

• A graphic organizer that describes the problem, initial solutions, and a successful community-based solution could help students summarize the key points of the video.
• Consider asking students to research an environmental issue in their community and discuss how a community-based restoration project could help.
• Additional resources to explore mangroves include Measuring Mangroves in Biscayne National Park and The Magic of Mangroves Secondary Lesson Plan.