Conceptual Framework for Mangrove Restoration in the Yucatán Peninsula
Background
In the Yucatán Peninsula, mangroves were lost at a rate of around 1.84% per year between 1976 and 2000. In 2000, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council gave the state government of Yucatán $800,000 towards mangrove restoration projects. Some research shows that the projects funded by this grant did not fully meet restoration goals.
Goals & Method
This article analyzes why many mangrove restoration projects in the state of Yucatán fail, and presents a framework for more successful mangrove restoration. The article takes into account the karstic geography of the peninsula, as it has an impact on coastal hydrology
Conclusions & Takeaways
The article recommends that project managers engage in "forensic ecology", which is an investigation into the reasons why mangroves were degraded at the site in the first place. The conclusions stresses that the framework presented in the article is not a step-by-step guide for all mangrove reforestation but instead recommended technical and systematic procedures.
Reference:
Conceptual Framework for Mangrove Restoration in the Yucatan Peninsula. Ecological Restoration. 2010;28:333–342. doi:10.3368/er.28.3.333.
Affiliation:
- CINVESTAV-IPN Unidad Mérida, Mexico Marine Ecosystem Mangrove Restoration program
- CINVESTAV-IPN Unidad Mérida, Yucatán Mangrove Research and Management Program
- CINVESTAV-IPN Unidad Mérida
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología-Csic
- Department in Plant Physiology, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
- South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States