environmental

Manual for the ecological restoration of mangroves in the Mesoamerican Reef System and the Wider Caribbean

Manual for the ecological restoration of mangroves in the Mesoamerican Reef System and the Wider Caribbean
Scope of the Manual

Mangroves in the Mesoamerican Reef Region (MAR) and the Wider Caribbean are the economic foundation of over 134 million people living in the coastal regions. Mangroves provide protection against floods and buffer against storms and hurricanes, to which the region is highly vulnera- ble. Additionally, due to their close relationship with other ecosystems, such as coral reefs and seagrasses, mangroves and the ecosystem services they provide are the conservation pillars of coastal ecosystems.
Among these services, the storage potential of blue carbon is one of the most essential services in mitigating the effects of climate change, in addition to supporting important tourism and fish- eries industries. However, every year the extent of mangroves continues to decline due to the im- pacts of climate change, change in land use, and the overexploitation of resources.
This manual contributes to strengthening local, national, and regional capacities for the eco- logical restoration of mangroves and the ecosystem services they provide in the MAR and the Wider Caribbean region. Within the framework of the Cartagena Convention and the United Na- tions Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, ecological restoration (ER) of mangroves is considered a Nature-based Solution (NbS) that allows addressing the effects of climate change. This favors biodiversity conservation and the economic well-being of the population, contribut- ing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Mangrove ecological restoration in the MAR and the Wider Caribbean is a priority in the Regional Environmental Framework Strategy (ERAM, for its initials in Spanish) of the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD, for its initials in Spanish), in the devel- opment of the Blue Economy Regional Protocol, led by the MAR2R/CCAD/WWF-GEF Project as well as in the Regional Strategy and Action Plan for the Valuation, Protection and/or Restoration of Key Marine Habitats in the Wider Caribbean 2021-2030 (RSAP), developed under the Special- ly Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) subprogram of the Cartagena Convention. https://bit.ly/3KTbhgK

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EPA rolls back Obama-era coal pollution rules as Trump heads to West Virginia

 

CNN)As his Environmental Protection Agency delivers its latest blow to environmental regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions, President Donald Trump is heading into the heart of coal country to deliver the good news.

Trump will join supporters in Charleston, West Virginia, for a political rally on Tuesday to celebrate his administration’s proposal to allow states to set their own emissions standards for coal-fueled power plants.
The move would reverse Obama administration efforts to combat climate change and marks the fulfilment of a campaign promise at the heart of his appeal in coal-producing states like West Virginia.
The EPA Tuesday morning formally unveiled the details of its new plan to devolve regulation of coal-fired power plants back to the states, one that is expected to give a boost to the coal industry and increase carbon emissions nationwide.
The move is just the latest effort by the Trump administration to revive an ailing coal industry and strip climate change-fighting regulations established by the Obama administration. He previously announced plans to withdraw from the Paris climate accords, calling it an unfair deal for Americans. Read More

The Next Hundred Years

I look out across my world and see so many wonderful, talented kids, the next generation, and so many caring adults filled with so much good, so much altruism, kindness, compassion and beauty.

Peace

And I am terribly saddened by what may befall all these incredible beings if we cannot stop the destruction of our environment, if we cannot rein in the greed of capitalism and business as usual.

I pray that all may be filled with compassion for all living things.
NBR 6 June 2018