This project is funded through the International Joint Initiative for Research in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation from The New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).
Mangroves provide a wealth of benefits, including a wide range of ecosystem services, fostering biodiversity and carbon storage, and acting as natural barriers against coastal erosion and storms. However, human activities and climate change impacts pose significant threats. The core objective is to co-develop a multi-criteria Decision Support System (DSS), to guide policymakers and practitioners in making informed decisions for restoration and conservation of mangroves. University of British Columbia (UBC)- Canada, University of Dundee (UD)-UK, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO)-Norway will co-lead. Other partners include Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) & Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE)- Tanzania, and University of Cape Coast (UCC)- Ghana, and five local Community organizations representing vulnerable groups in Tanzania and Ghana. Young researchers gain valuable experience. A co-production and dissemination strategy ensures project outputs are directly relevant to the end-users. This includes building their capacity to design climate actions including mangrove restoration and conservation, strengthening their resilience and food security.Progress so far:
Project kick-off in December 2024 as a tool for project public communication in Tanzania: The project was officially launched in December 2024 with a kick-off meeting at one of the field sites in Tanzania. Partners and representatives from Ghana, Tanzania, Canada, Norway, and the UK joined local stakeholders, including fisheries, forestry, coastal authorities, and community-based organizations. The meeting provided an opportunity to present objectives, expected results, and impacts, and to build a shared understanding among all partners and communities. The event highlighted CoastMan’s commitment to co-developing solutions for mangrove restoration and conservation while strengthening the resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable coastal communities in Ghana and Tanzania.
Project data collection campaign March 2025: In March 2025, a field data collection campaign was carried out along the coasts of western and eastern Ghana under Project WP1 and WP4. All Ghanaian partners and Norwegian partners (NIBIO and NMBU), supported by four MSc and PhD students. The campaign included biogeographic surveys using drones and other tools to generate critical data for mapping drivers of mangrove habitat loss and the state and distribution of Mangrove in Ghana. This collaborative effort provided valuable data collection and training opportunities for Ghanaian and Norwegian MSc and Phd students while strengthening the knowledge base needed for restoration and conservation in coastal Ghana. Data analysis is ongoing during this report.
Master's thesis in 2025: Two NMBU master’s students, Jarle Systad and Johan Husebråten, successfully defended their thesis titled “Bruk av Sentinel 2 og GEDI-satellittdata for å Kartlegge Mangroveskogens Utbredelse og biomasse.” Supported by CoastMan for fieldwork in Ghana, their study showed how combining satellite data with locally collected information improves the accuracy of mangrove mapping and provides insights into carbon storage potential. The work contributes data and knowledge to the project's goal of strengthening knowledge and decision support for the sustainable management of coastal mangrove ecosystems. A new field campaign to the coastal mangrove systems of Tanzania is being planned for the first half of 2026, with lessons learned from previous fieldwork and preliminary data analysis in Ghana to be integrated into its design and implementation.
Coastal Mangroves in Eastern and Western Africa offer coastal communities much-needed ecosystem services and protection against key climate change risks, including risks to low-lying coastal-ecological systems, risks to terrestrial and ocean ecosystems, and as a result, risks to food security. The project (CoastMan) proposes co-production and uptake of a Multi-Criteria Decision Support System (DSS) that provides vulnerable communities and decision-makers a knowledge-based decision-making capacity for the restoration and conservation of socio-ecological systems. An interdisciplinary and trans-sectoral team is established in partnership with vulnerable groups to co-develop and uptake a DSS to promote mitigation and strategies that enhance the adaptive capacities of the mangrove socio-ecological systems in Eastern and western Africa. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from extensive field research in coastal Tanzania and Ghana, extensive literature, and remote sensing, the project will 1) co-develop dynamic maps of drivers and risks of mangrove habitat loss; 2) support locally-led social-ecological and climate resilience through coordinated management of mangrove resources, 3) co-develop sustainable livelihood strategies for coastal communities, 4) co-design a novel multicriteria framework for mangrove restoration and conservation, and 5) co-develop a novel DSS. We devised a co-production and dissemination strategy so that project outputs will assist in identifying mitigation strategies and enhancing adaptive capacities of the frontline coastal communities, including building their capacity needs in designing climate actions such as restoration and conservation of mangrove ecosystems. Furthermore, the project will lead to improved knowledge and capacity of partner institutions through supporting early career researchers and promoting strengthened collaboration between partners and vulnerable coastal mangrove-dependent communities.
