Mangrove Restoration in Colombia and Southeast Asia

We are proud to support the work of Global Nature Fund (GNF) to protect and restore mangrove ecosystems and strengthen the resilience of coastal communities in Colombia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. These ecosystems are among the world’s most valuable carbon sinks and provide critical protection against storm surges, flooding, and coastal erosion. Yet they are increasingly threatened by overexploitation, land-use pressure, and climate change.

The Families for Nature Foundation is contributing multi-year financial support from 2026 to 2029, enabling GNF and its local partner organizations to implement long-term ecological restoration, develop alternative livelihood opportunities, and build strong local stewardship structures essential for sustaining these landscapes.

In northern Colombia, along the Sinú River, the project focuses on improving the living conditions of fishing communities while restoring the mangrove forests they depend on. Overexploitation and climate impacts have increasingly threatened food security and income stability. Together with Fundación Humedales, GNF is reforesting 20 hectares of degraded mangrove forest, developing community-led management strategies, and supporting alternative income activities such as fishponds, ecotourism, and canoe rentals. These approaches will be shared with other communities along the lower Sinú River basin to expand the impact across the region.

The second project strengthens community-led mangrove conservation across India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Many reforestation efforts in South and Southeast Asia fail because they do not sufficiently integrate the needs and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. GNF and its partners address this gap by planting and restoring mangroves together with community groups, establishing effective co-management structures for 5,000 hectares of mangrove forest, and developing sustainable income models benefiting nearly 2,000 people.

A key focus is on ensuring equitable access to coastal resources, empowering women’s groups, and enabling long-term community stewardship. By combining ecological restoration with livelihood diversification, the project strengthens social resilience and builds durable incentives for conservation.

GNF’s ability to link ecological restoration with social development makes it an important partner in global mangrove conservation. We are pleased to support this essential work and to help advance resilient, community-driven protection of coastal ecosystems from Colombia to Southeast Asia.