Chapter 20 - A framework for the quantitative assessment of mangrove resilience

Abstract

In the last century, humans have threatened mangrove communities around the world, and prevalence of resilient mangroves is important. Resilience has been considered as three capacities, adaptive, absorptive, and transformative, which operate at different scales over time through biotic, abiotic, social, political, and economic strategies. This study develops measures for quantitative resilience assessment for mangroves, using biotic and abiotic components alongside human socioeconomic components, within resilience dimensions of ecosystem robustness, magnitude of stressors, and management actions. To demonstrate this assessment methodology, study sites from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Micronesia were selected owing to the prominence of mangroves in the regions of Southeast Asia and the West Pacific. Assessment ranked information on stressors, ecosystem robustness, and management capacity. The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Singapore and Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve in Malaysia both showed low resilience for sediment supply and substrate accretion rates, partly influenced by the moderate condition of offshore adjacent ecosystems, but showed good resilience in mangrove condition and management capacity. Tanjung Panjang Nature Reserve in Indonesia scored low in resilience, with direct human impacts and ineffective management reducing ecosystem robustness. The Enipein Marine Park in Pohnpei showed low resilience in relative sea level rise and substrate accretion rates, as well as management capacity, but scored well for mangrove ecosystem robustness. The resilience assessment method is low cost, identifies management priorities and research needs, and provides a positive objective in resilience building to engender motivation of teams and communities.