MEXICO – Restoring mangroves to the Marismas Nacionales Sinaloa wetlands

Background & challenges

The Marismas Nacionales Sinaloa wetlands lie on the northwest coast of the Mexican Pacific. They comprise vast complex of coastal brackish water lagoons, mangroves, mudflats, and ravines. The area is home to a great deal of biodiversity in terms of flora and fauna. Yet today it is being massively impacted by human activities and climate change, including the interruption of water flow due to road construction and aquaculture infrastructure, or natural disasters.

The local communities, mainly fishing families living off the resources of these wetlands, are consequently suffering from the decline of this environment. Resources like fish, shellfish, and other foodstuffs are in short supply. This is causing great precarity among these already extremely poor populations and a progressive migration to larger towns to seek work.

The main objectives of the project are to restore of the hydrological flow (water dynamics) in the lagoon and conserve the mangroves that have been lost or are degraded. It will be implemented across an area covering 25 hectares and include the following activities:

• identifying, evaluating, and preparing potential areas for reforestation;
• introducing artificial channels –  further away from human construction and activities, cleaning and desilting tidal channels;
• selecting, conditioning, and producing 30,000 mangrove trees in nurseries;
• reforestation of mangroves;
• maintaining, monitoring, and assessing the restoration programme over a six-year period.

The local fishing cooperatives (Sociedades Cooperativas de Producción Pesquera) on the coastal fringe of the municipality of Escuinapa, Sinaloa, are interested in finding solutions to curb the decline of this environment and have started to get involved in the project. The community will gain awareness of the environmental issues and will play an active role in the different phases of creating the artificial channels, nursery, plantations, and conserving the site. For them, the aim is to  avoid repeating mistakes of the past and learn how to manage this fragile ecosystem on their own. By taking part in the various tasks, the community will earn extra income while experiencing the initial benefits of the project.

The construction of artificial canals and planting of 30,000 mangroves by local communities aim to:

• restore the extremely rich biodiversity of this Mexican wetland, fauna and flora;
• restore the hydrodynamic functions of the area to generate better quality plantation areas and water;
• raise awareness among the local communities of the environmental issues of the wetlands and safeguard the area for economic, tourism and cultural activities;
• establish harmony between human activities generating resources and income, and nature.

Works timeline

Field visits, monitoring and supervision, training, and logistical support will run throughout the years as follows:

• January to April 2024: equipment, signage, and materials for the work on the artificial channels;
• July 2023 to July 2024: production of mangrove seedlings in the nursery;
• July 2024 to October 2024: mangrove distribution and plantating;
• April 2024 to June 2024: channel maintenance;
• August 2024 to August 2028: annual production of mangrove plants in case replanting is necessary;
• September 2025 to September 2029: replanting mangrove seedlings if needed.