Friendship is planting mangrove trees managed by local communities in the south of Bangladesh, adjacent to the Sundarbans-the world's largest mangrove forest. Mangroves absorb carbon much faster than other forest ecosystems. They are also an essential income source and natural barrier against cyclones, tidal surges and salinisation. This project is one of 20 best-practice examples of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Asia-Pacific as per IUCN.
Carbon emissions are a very real, recognised danger to the environment as a whole. But the increasing frequency of cyclones, rising sea levels and weakening embankments have left coastal communities crippled by salinisation. This slow catastrophe has destroyed livelihoods, contaminated water sources and transformed landscapes. A network of embankments built in the 1960s to protect communities from tidal surges has weakened, leaving coastal communities vulnerable to saline water intrusion.
Friendship is planting mangroves in the mudflats between the river and the embankment, to dampen the impact of storms and waves, and protect communities from climate disasters. Moreover, mangroves can store up to 8 times more carbon per unit area than other types of forests. To your 50c for each sapling, Friendship will add $3.5 to actively protect the plantation until it matures, developing capacity and mobilising the local communities and governments to take stewardship of the forest.
Mangroves are extremely efficient in capturing carbon and are a complex and robust habitat for countless flora and fauna. They are a natural defense against climate disasters. They also provide immense economic value for the local communities, and their preservation mutually benefits all the above-mentioned for generations. Climate change, loss of habitat and climate-induced displacement are very real threats that can be sustainably addressed in the long-term.
