What are mangroves and why it is important to protect them
Mangroves form a humid ecosystem typical of tropical areas of the planet. With its fascinating forests and labyrinth of channels flowing within it, it represents not only a place of refuge and reproduction for aquatic species and birds but also a resource for adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its impact and for the economy of local communities.
It is a delicate ecosystem and it is estimated that globally 50 percent of mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse according to the first global report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (2024). Climate change, especially rising seas, is the main threat but human action is also often the cause of damage.
Mangroves are disappearing three to five times faster than overall global forest losses, with serious ecological and socio-economic impacts. Current estimates indicate that mangrove coverage has been divided by two in the past 40 years.
Recognizing the importance of the mangrove ecosystem, AVSI in the Dominican Republic - in the province of Monte Cristi, in the northwest of the country and on the border with Haiti - has been successfully carrying out the project “Inclusive Model of Mangrove Management as a Poverty Alleviation Strategy‘’ for almost two years. The initiative is supported by FOSIT (Federation of Swiss Italian Organizations) and implemented by AVSI and AVAID (founding member of Fondazione AVSI) together with local partners Centro de Investigación y Promoción Social - CIPROS and SOH Conservacion.
The goal is the protection of mangroves and the creation of environmentally friendly and sustainable economic activities.
At the center of AVSI's action is always the people, their desires, including for the protection of the environment. That is why we met with those living in the area and put in place actions that would meet the needs of fishermen, community leaders, ecotourism professionals and local beekeepers.
The relationship with the community revealed the importance of mangrove protection, as Manuel de Jesús Rodriguez, Yessy Almonte, Elvis Peña three of the people who live in close contact with this ecosystem testify.
Protecting mangroves through sustainable fishing
Manuel de Jesús Rodriguez, a fisherman for 35 years explains how his fishing business depends on a healthy mangrove ecosystem: “Mangroves are the home of fish, I make my living from fishing, so it is vital for me to protect the mangroves,” he says. Showing us the night's catch, he told us that fishermen in the area defend the wet forest because it is in that same forest that provides the basis of their economic activity.

In the mangroves, taking advantage of the tides, they fish with large mesh nets, selecting the fish that can be caught and letting smaller fish go free. Today, he is concerned about the drought that is gradually drying up the mangrove forest and impacting his business of economics. For the future, he would like to engage himself in local associations involved in mangrove conservation and would like to diversify his sources of income by also starting to work in ecotourism.
An ecotourism trail to discover the mangroves of Mount Cristi National Park
Yessy Almonte is a member of the Monte Cristi Park Ecological Society (SEPAM), created by the community to protect and monitor the “buffer zone” of Monte Cristi National Park, home to 40 percent of the mangroves in the entire Dominican Republic. She tells us, “For us ecotourism was a desire. Now, it is a project.” She explains how SEPAM's economic sustainability today depends closely on the mangroves and the ecotourism proposal created within it. “The collaboration with AVSI began with the provision of life jackets to bring the first tourists to see the mangroves. Then with AVSI's support and in synergy with other local stakeholders, we created a real ecotourism trail, and we are starting to be known: we are often invited to national tourism fairs, and since we started, we have accompanied more than 200 tourists to discover the mangroves.”

Ecotourism is creating an opportunity for community entrepreneurship based on sustainable mangrove use that actively involves young people.
Yessy Almonte member of the Monte Cristi park ecological society (SEPAM) in the Dominican Republic
Yessy recounts that the life of the local community is strongly connected to the mangrove resources, “Here in Los Conucos, we live on fishing, rice and plantain, activities that are closely linked to the mangrove ecosystem.”
This is why AVSI is engaged in community outreach to make the main economic activities in the area more sustainable. “In fisheries [AVSI] actively supports aquaculture for tilapia production, and in the rice sector, it is improving agricultural practices by reducing pesticide use,” Yessy continues. ”Now, ecotourism is also a concrete reality thanks to AVSI's support.”
For Yessy, the mangrove forest is one of the places to which the fondest memories of childhood are linked, when she and her family would spend days in the shade of the mangroves, cooking and playing baseball. “To see that today, a place with so many good memories is visited by people from outside moves me a lot,” she explains, smiling. For the future, she hopes that the community will continue to collaborate with different stakeholders, that Los Conucos will become the tourist destination for those who want to relax in the peace of nature, that accessibility to the park can be improved, and that the youth of the community will stay, finding economic opportunities without migrating.
Mangrove flowering, an essential resource for Dominican beekeepers

Elvis Peña is the president of the Los Conucos beekeepers' association, one of the local entities supported by the project: AVSI provided materials and tools to increase honey production.
“The flowering of the mangroves,” he explains, ”is crucial for beekeeping. As beekeepers, we support the mangrove reforestation campaigns organized by AVSI, as a healthy forest promotes our economic activity. Over time, the extent of mangroves has shrunk due to mismanagement and drought, limiting many of the traditional economic activities in the area. I hope the forest will be regenerated.” In the future, Elvis hopes to have more hives, increased honey production and better market access.
AVSI's initiatives to protect mangroves in the Dominican Republic
To date, AVSI's mangrove protection projects in Monte Cristi province have reached 390 direct beneficiaries and 2,600 indirect beneficiaries. Direct beneficiaries include community leaders, representatives of key economic agents, ecological movements, associations and cooperatives, civil society organizations, students, technical staff from public institutions, the private sector, and the resident community. Outreach and training activities, carried out throughout the province, have involved more than 1,000 people.
The main economic activities supported in nearly two years were fishing, rice production, beekeeping and ecotourism. In most cases, the promoted interventions achieved the indicators, sometimes exceeding them, as in the case of ecotourism and beekeeping, promoting environmental sustainability and development of the local economy.

During the reforestation days, 5 hectares of the lagoon with 3,000 mangroves were reforested, together with the participation of more than 100 community members, respecting traditional knowledge in the choice of species, location and planting methods, ensuring the success of the activity.
An additional 2,000 mangroves are planned to be planted by the end of the year, and the Ministry of Environment is independently reforesting the area, given the success of the campaigns so far.
“Economic activities, recreation, and many of the local community's future expectations are linked to the mangrove ecosystem,” comments Mario di Francesco, AVSI representative in the Dominican Republic. ”AVSI is very clear about the social and economic importance of this ecosystem. When we talk about environmental protection, it is necessary to involve the different natural, economic, social and cultural realities that make up an ecosystem in order to ensure development, sustainability and success in the project. The area of our intervention is unique but we hope to set a good example that can be replicated".
The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem
The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem was approved by the UNESCO General Conference in 2015 and occurs annually on July 26. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of mangroves as a ''unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem,'' promoting solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and use.

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