Newsroom :: Newsletter :: MFF Newsletter 27
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Mangroves for the Future Newsletter - Issue 27
Welcome !
2012 was an eventful year for MFF.
MFF Pakistan graciously hosted the 9th MFF Regional Steering Committee (RSC 9) meeting in Karachi which highlighted the issues and challenges in coastal management in member countries. The RSC also endorsed a "Call For Action" that emerged from a MFF Regional Colloquium on Mangrove restoration successfully hosted by India earlier in the year.
MFF is growing. One of the biggest highlights of the year for MFF was Bangladesh becoming a full member country. With Bangladesh on board, MFF now operates in nine member countries. MFF is also very pleased to welcome DANIDA as a new donor partner.
The MFF RSC-9 stressed the importance of regional cooperation and the role private sector can play in coastal conservation and sustainable development. Through its "Coast Action" initiative, MFF is forging a private sector led network for coastal conservation.
A number of important international events like the IUCN World Conservation Congress in South Korea and the 11th Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in India gave MFF a valuable opportunity to share experiences and exchange ideas among practitioners and the world at large on sustainable development of coastal communities. Do check our news links below for those stories and more.
As we make our way into 2013, MFF is committed to ensure that actions on the ground will continue to make positive contributions towards encouraging civil society participation, and uniting peoples' voices for meaningful coastal conservation efforts.
Visit our website www.mangrovesforthefuture.org and our Facebook page .. and spread the good word!
Best Wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year,
Steen Christensen
Coordinator
Mangroves For The Future
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Regional Activities
MFF at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2012
Jeju, South Korea 06 Sep 2012
Building coastal resilience is a significant component of Integrated Coastal Zone Management throughout the world and one that MFF has had significant experience with throughout the Asian region. On 7 September 2012, more than 40 people from varying backgrounds in the conservation world, descended to the Blue Planet Pavilion at the World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Republic of Korea, to share their experiences on coastal and marine resilience building activities.
MFF at the CBD COP 11. Focus on need for collaborative efforts to conserve sea grass beds in the Gulf of Mannar.
Hyderabad, India 22 Oct 2012
At a COP11 MFF side event on October 16, researchers and audience comprising experts from various disciplines discussed on the current situation of sea grass beds in the Gulf of Mannar, their survival and long term strategies needed to conserve them. The event also marked the first time sea grass beds have been mapped on the both sides of the Gulf, which is an area in the Indian Ocean between the southernmost tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka. This area is considered one of the most biodiversity rich marine areas in Asia.
9th MFF Regional Steering Committee meeting emphasizes enhanced regional cooperation- Bangladesh inducted as the 9th MFF member country.
Karachi, Pakistan 18 Nov 2012
The 9th Regional Steering Committee of the Mangroves for the Future (MFF) initiative was held in Karachi, Pakistan from 18 - 22 November 2012. Representatives of the eight MFF member countries, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam convened in the coastal city of Karachi to discuss and present the progress in coastal management efforts in their respective countries. They were joined by MFF outreach countries Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar. FAO, UNEP, Wetlands International, partners of the MFF Initiative were represented. The theme for the RSC-9 learning event was: Coastal Resilience in the wake of Climate Change through Private Sector Engagements.
MFF RSC pushing forward - 'Resilience, Climate Change and the Private Sector in Sustainable Coastal Management'.
Karachi, Pakistan 20 Nov 2012
The private sector is a major stakeholder in terms of coastal resource extraction and use in the form of food, oil and gas reserves, naval trade, and carbon storage. It is now becoming increasingly evident that business and private sector commitment towards safeguarding the coasts is vital.
Country Updates
How the Motorcycle Diaries Inspired Coastal Restoration in South India
Tamil Nadu, India 06 Sep 2012
In 2002, inspired by The Motorcycle Diaries and armed with over 5000 pamphlets, Dr. Balaji travelled 1200 km by motorcycle to spread awareness of local conservation issues in over 590 fishing villages in Tamil Nadu. He has continued this work over the years, accessing remote villages and working closely with local communities to spread the conservation message.
Coastal Sustainability: Learnings from MFF India projects
New Delhi, India 20 Sep 2012
Many of us will never have to stand at lands end, watching the incoming tide, and wonder how to feed and protect our families. But more than 20 million people in India, living along its coasts and depending on a delicate balance between ocean and land ecologies, are doing exactly that today.
Spreading awareness through art!
Orissa, India 19 Oct 2012
Every year the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) invites primary school children from tropical and sub-tropical countries to participate in an annual art competition on mangroves. The purpose of the competition is to raise awareness and promote appreciation of these unique tidal forests and the communities they sustain. Selected winners artwork is published in a yearly calendar that is distributed worldwide.
Coast Action Start-up meeting held in Colombo
Colombo, Sri Lanka 25 Oct 2012
The first in the series of start up meetings of Coast Action was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in October 2012 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel attended by 20 interested company representatives from the five priority business sectors that have an impact on the coastal zone namely fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, oil and gas, mining and ports and harbours.
Featuring Marine Wonders of Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri Lanka 17 Dec 2012
In association with the Mangroves for the Future initiative and Karunaratne and Sons, IUCN Sri Lanka hosted a special exposition of 20 rarely seen images of Sri Lanka’s marine wonders, photographed by Arjan Rajasooriya, Naren Gunasekeara, Nishan Perera and Riaz Cader. This exhibition was held at the Casa Serena Gallery in Colombo.
Links, Resources and Publications
- Securing The Future of Mangroves - A Policy Brief - The United Nations University, 2012.
- Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility towards Climate Change Resilience
- STRENGTHENING RESILIENCE IN POST-DISASTER SITUATIONS Stories, Experience, and Lessons from South Asia - Julian Gonsalves and Priyanka Mohan, Academic foundation IDRC 2011
Events & Others
2nd Postgraduate Certificate Course on Integrated Coastal Management
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Bangkok, Thailand