Mangroves in the Asia-Pacific region provide vital ecosystem services with far-reaching benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Despite their ecological importance, coordinated regional efforts for mangrove conservation and restoration remain limited.
In this context, AFoCO is launching a new Living Lab for mangrove restoration under the theme “Sustaining Mangroves, Strengthening Partnerships, Securing the Future,” with financial and technical support from the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS) of the Republic of Korea, as part of the long-standing AFoCO-NIFoS partnership since 2015. As a first step, AFoCO is pleased to announce the “Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration Working Group Establishment” meeting, scheduled to take place from 29 to 30 September 2025 in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The meeting will convene nine (9) AFoCO Member Countries with significant mangrove ecosystems and/or interest in restoration from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Republic of Korea (represented by NIFoS), Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam. Other Member Countries are welcome to participate voluntarily at their own cost. Each country is kindly requested to nominate two (2) officials to attend.
Selection preference will be given to nominees who:
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing national mangrove strategies, including in policy development, implementation, or technical coordination;
- Are affiliated with institutions directly involved in mangrove research, restoration, or governance; and
- Actively contribute to regional cooperation and the objectives of the AFoCO Mangrove Working Group.
For inquiries, please contact Ms. Soozin Ryang, Team Leader, Capacity-Building and Evaluation Team (Email: [email protected]).