Maria Claudia Diazgranados

The Blue Carbon Project, Gulf of Morrosquillo "Vida Manglar", is a local institutional and regional community initiative, which seeks certification of actions related to the reduction of carbon emissions due to unplanned deforestation and the conservation of coastal wetlands in 7,561 ha of mangrove forests. The grouped project began on May 15, 2015, and is expected to last 30 years. During that time a reduction of 939,296 tCO2e is expected through the implementation of activities related to four strategic lines framed in the Action Plan of the Integrated Management Plan of the protected area of Cispatá: strengthening local governance; promoting alternative productive projects with local communities; recovery and rehabilitation of mangrove areas; and monitoring the associated biodiversity. During the first monitoring period (15 May 2015 to 31 December 2018) a net reduction of 69,027 tCO2e was certified. The program is developing the second monitoring report. Vida Manglar is led by a coalition of public and private organizations — including the national environmental authorities Coporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Sinú (CVS), the Colombia’s Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR), the local NGO Fundación Omacha, Conservation International and community-based associations of mangrove workers. Communities living around the project area have a high economic dependence on the natural resources associated with the mangrove forests. Historically, they have promoted different sustainable management initiatives together with the authority to improve their economic welfare and to maintain the environmental quality of the ecosystem. They are part of the governance structure of the project and a key partner for decision-making processes. One unique characteristic of this project is the existence of a rotating forest management scheme that allows local communities to use mangrove wood based on permits granted by the regional environmental authority on a yearly basis.In Colombia the use of mangrove wood is prohibited for any purposes, but in Cordoba Department, due to an extensive mangrove monitoring done with communities since 1990, the authority reached to the conclusion that using sustainably the mangrove forest was a better way of keeping them healthy, instead of prohibiting the use that might create illegal activities. That is why mangrove users are associated and receive extraction permits every year, based on volume of wood collected and monitored by the authority. The entire mangrove forest is divided into 13 different subzones, which are harvested by year on a rotation basis. In exchange for making specific commitments that limit the amount of wood they extract from the mangrove forest, as well as the active participation on monitoring activities, community members receive benefits from the blue carbon program, such as wages for opening channels to avoid high salinity levels, capacity building opportunities, as well as economic alternatives. The local knowledge is used to select which channels needs an urgent maintenance, as well as how is the best way of helping and increasing the natural regeneration of the forest.

The Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA) is an unprecedented collaboration that brings together NGOs, governments, industry, local communities and funders to save and restore mangrove ecosystems globally. National stakeholders are the catalyst in implementing improved management, conservation, and restoration of their ecosystems and the services they provide to coastal communities. The GMA is working with local entities to establish GMA national chapter, which bring together GMA members and other local groups engaged in mangrove conservation and restoration. Chapters facilitate coordination between different actors under a neutral banner which helps connect the broader GMA goals to more targeted local contexts. To date, 13 GMA national chapters have formally established in distributed throughout the Americas, Africa, and Asia, with many more countries and regions are showing interest.National chapters are supported by the wider GMA community via a range of open access tools, guidelines, trainings, and knowledge sharing opportunities. Through co-development we have produced best practices and implementation guidelines; open access tools including the Global Mangrove Watch and the Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool to help in the design and monitoring of mangrove management interventions; alternative livelihoods toolboxes; policy briefs that link mangroves to national and international policy frameworks and agreements; and a community of practice linking experiences with other national chapters, and knowledge exchanges. The GMA is a conduit to member organizations and national chapters to a global network of leading mangrove scientists and specialists that can provide technical expertise and assistance in the development of regional strategies and plans for mangrove management, conservation, and restoration. In addition to receiving alerts on project financing opportunities with the potential to leverage existing projects and up-scale.These collaborative actions have produced a number of success stories around the world. For example, the Ecuador Chapter launched a large Green Climate Fund project that engages local communities and the private sector in the restoration and sustainable management of mangrove areas. The project will increase the adaptive capacity and resilience of coastal communities, benefiting 89,600 people, through integrated management and restoration that increases the area, ecosystem health, and sustainable use of mangroves. The GMA received the Food Planet Prize, from which the Indonesian national chapter was awarded $1m to expand mangrove restoration to a total of 170ha across South Sumatra, Riau, West Java, and North Kalimantan. This is being conducted in partnership with 11 community groups, which will continue policy dialogues and capacity building at the national level. The aim of the project is to increase in natural regeneration by 40% and boost in shrimp pond productivity by 20%. The project will manage ~27,000 ha of pristine mangroves across multiple regions, aiming to increase mangrove canopy cover and improve livelihoods of coastal communities through the development of six new sustainable economic activities. As the wider GMA community and GMA national chapters carry this momentum forward significant steps towards the ambitious goal are being achieved, which will provide benefits to both people and nature.

We analysed 114 DNA samples collected in different locations within the stock G breeding grounds, including Ecuador and the northern and southern Pacific of Colombia. We genotyped 15 microsatellite loci, sexed all samples, and performed genotype comparisons. Genotype comparisons were done using a DNA register of previously genotyped individuals from the Colombian breeding ground and the Antarctic Peninsula feeding Area. We confirmed connectivity between feeding grounds in Antarctic Peninsula and breeding grounds in Colombia and Ecuador using microsatellite loci. We found recaptures within each sampling location in the same year, but we also found a few recaptures in the same locations between years both in breeding and feeding grounds. Interestingly, we found recaptures between breeding and feeding grounds using samples collected 20 years apart, providing some information about longevity in this stock. Further comparisons with other data sets (Brazil, North Pacific) are needed to understand the migratory connectivity of this stock.

La tortuga carey del Pacífico oriental es una de las unidades regionales de manejo más amenazadas del mundo. En el Pacífico colombiano ha sido avistada en áreas de alimentación y en estadios juveniles y/o subadultos. Sus zonas y temporada de anidación son desconocidas para el país. El 24 de febrero de 2020, se registra la primera hembra de tortuga carey para el Pacífico colombiano, en el Mosaico de Conservación Bahía Málaga. El largo curvo mínimo del caparazón fue de 90 cm, el largo curvo del caparazón nucalsupracuadal fue de 90,5 cm, el ancho curvo del caparazón fue de 73,6 cm y su peso fue de 69 kg. La presencia de una hembra y ser la principal zona de alimentación y residencia de juveniles y subadultos de la especie en el Pacífico de Colombia hace indispensable continuar con el monitoreo sistemático en agua e identificar y monitorear potenciales sitios de anidación para aportar a la conservación de la tortuga carey del Pacífico oriental.