Approach to address the challenge: The overarching research question is “how the mangrove dependent, vulnerable coastal communities with limited capacity and resources can become more resilient to climate change and cope with the identified risks?”. On the basis of the socio-ecological complexity of mangroves, we propose an approach of co-production and uptake of a novel Multi-Criteria Decision Support System (DSS) that guides vulnerable groups and decision-makers in the process of knowledge-based decision-making for restoration and conservation of mangrove socioecological systems.
The approach will have the following characteristics. Promoting restoration and conservation as nature-based solution outcomes by addressing the gaps in knowledge and decision support tools. The main research outcome, the DSS, will be climate-sensitive, flexible and tailored to changes in both landscapes and contexts. Furthermore, it considers spatially explicit biophysical characteristics of mangrove habitats as well as the socio-ecological requirements of mangrove restoration and conservation. We argue that participatory restoration and conservation of critical mangrove ecosystems are contextually and culturally appropriate mitigation and adaptation responses to the two key risks of climate change.
The United Nations declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ecological Restoration. In response, 30 African countries committed to the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative [18] aiming to restore 126 million hectares of degraded forests by 2030. These initiatives are complex, but a knowledge-based, climate sensitive DSS can help in planning, implementation, and monitoring of restoration. Knowledge-based, participatory restoration and conservation approaches will have the potential to a) increase the resilience of the socio-ecological system to climate change, (b) decrease greenhouse gas emissions, increase rates of carbon sequestration and build long-term carbon stocks (blue carbon), c) provide other ecosystem services including halting marine biodiversity loss, coastal erosion, and vulnerability to extreme weather including reducing risks of storms and coastal erosion [19, 20].
Co-production with vulnerable communities and capacity building for uptake: Experience from past research and development shows that the most effective long-term strategy for restoration and conservation is community and stakeholder engagement at all stages of program design and implementation [21]. Engaging vulnerable communities to have a stake and a voice in governing natural resources promotes local stewardship using local knowledge critical for restoring and conserving mangrove ecosystems. We will build on successful community-based forest management experiences in Tanzania, such as the coastal communities initiatives on climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation through income generation activities [22]; and a recently completed program on drivers and threats affecting mangrove forest dynamics in Ghana [5]. CoastMan will engage the selected coastal communities in Tanzania and Ghana for the co-production of a novel DSS to promote restoration, and conservation that is based on spatially explicit information on the drivers and risks of habitat loss.
Co-design and co-production promoting networking: CoastMan promotes South-South, and North-South partnerships, particularly in improving the capacities of coastal communities by engaging them in project design and implementation as well as providing training in the use of decision support systems.
Promoting a multi-objective policy and governance: With restoration and conservation as key strategies towards achieving multiple sustainable development goals, CoastMan will provide critical scientific evidence to garner political, and financial support for coastal ecological restoration and conservation from national governments/public institutions and NGOs at local, regional and international level.
Novelty: The continued impact of climate change, ecosystem degradation, and habitat loss challenge the traditional approach to restoration and conservation. We propose a novel approach involving the coproduction and promotion of a novel DSS that broadens restoration’s framework focusing on climate change mitigation and adaptation, while maintaining the traditional goals of restoration, i.e., maintaining biodiversity and delivering ecosystem services. The DSS will inform restoration and conservation design and planning, built on scientific knowledge and products such as ecological models and digital maps of drivers and risks of change (WPs 1,4), incorporating socioeconomic, governance, and policy factors (WPs 2,3) biological, demographic factors, and climate change scenario (WP4)
