Mangrove forests provide many benefits for people and planet. In the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia, healthy mangroves support coastal communities and offer storm surge protection for millions of people vulnerable to climate breakdown. With the potential to absorb four to five times as much carbon dioxide per hectare as tropical forests, they also play a major role in lessening global warming. Globally, ecosystem services from mangrove forests are worth between USD 33 000 and USD 57 000 per hectare per year.
However, mangrove forests are being lost at an alarming rate because of unregulated development, a situation worsened by weak tenure rights that leave communities with little incentive to protect their coastal forests. This destruction of critical ecosystems in turn drives loss of livelihoods, migration and food insecurity, and releases stored carbon.
Landesa supports national and regional governments in South and Southeast Asia to draft and adopt policies that help protect mangroves, improve community livelihoods, and mitigate climate change. Unlike localised restoration programmes, Landesa’s approach tackles the root causes of mangrove loss through changing and enacting laws and policies that benefit millions of people and support mangrove conservation. It also runs pilot projects with communities to secure land rights, build evidence, and demonstrate effective mangrove protection for governments, laying the groundwork for scalable policy solutions.
LGT Venture Philanthropy partners with Landesa on its Coastal Livelihoods and Mangroves Project providing core funding to help scale the initiative in six countries in South and Southeast Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Our engagement covers two areas of work:
Mangrove forests are vital for millions in South and Southeast Asia, providing food, shelter, and livelihoods. Strengthening tenure rights empowers communities to protect these ecosystems while ensuring lasting economic benefits. With LGT VP's support, Landesa advances policy change and land governance to improve outcomes for people and the planet.
