Bali Call to Action for
Sustainable Mangrove Ecosystems

International Conference on Sustainable Mangrove Ecosystems
Making a vital resource for achieving the SDGs and the Paris Agreement
As a matter of urgency, we, the 272 participants from 25 countries attending the International
Conference on Sustainable Mangrove Ecosystems, held on 18–21 April 2017 in Bali, Indonesia, urge
policymakers, land-use planners, mangrove practitioners and scientists, international organizations,the private sector, donors and coastal communities to redouble their work to ensure theconservation, restoration, protection and sustainable management and use of the world’s
remaining mangrove forest ecosystems.

Mangroves provide many goods and ecosystem

The conference has also shown the leading role of womenservices essential for the livelihoods of coastalin the restoration and rehabilitation

ofcommunities, including sustaining fisheries, conserving

worldwide

involvingbiodiversity, and storing among the highest densities ofcommunities in sustainable mangrove management.

carbon of any ecosystem globally. Mangroves cover about
15 million hectares but are under threat worldwide, withthe total area declining by at least 20% since 1980. At least
one-quarter of surviving mangroves are moderately toseverely degraded.

andtheimportanceofmangroves
local

Greater national and international efforts should be madeand more funding provided, therefore, for mangrove
conservation, restoration and sustainable management anduse. Countries and those responsible for mangrove
resources are invited to consider and implement theEvidence and case studies presented at this conference

following key measures, if appropriate, to help ensure that

demonstrate that, with adequate investment, sustainable

mangrove ecosystems are protected, expanded andmangrove management can play a significant role inmanagedconserving

communities, countries and the global environment.

andenhancing

carbonsinks,

enabling

adaptation to climate change, and achieving the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goals 5, 13, 14 and 15.

Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia
International Tropical Timber Organization
International Society of Mangrove Ecosystems

sustainablyfor

thebenefitofcoastal

Key Messages
1.

Prioritizing the conservation and sustainable management and use of mangrove ecosystems
in national policies, laws and regulations at all levels of government, and strengthening law
enforcement to reduce the continuing loss and degradation of mangrove ecosystems.

2.

Promoting sound land-use planning, clarifying land tenure and user rights for communities
with consideration for cultural sensitivity, and ensuring the effective involvement andempowerment of local communities, especially women.

3.

Promoting effective mangrove restoration through the improved assessment of degraded anddeforested mangrove ecosystems, science-based decision-making to identify the best estoration
strategies and practices, and long-term monitoring and management to determine and improve
the overall success of restoration programmes and increase productivity.

4.

Facilitating access to international financing mechanisms as well as national public andprivate-sector sources to scale up mangrove-based climate-change mitigation and adaptationand enhance the resilience of coastal regions and communities.

5.

Generating and disseminating knowledge on the causes, patterns and consequences of change
in mangrove ecosystems at the local to globe scales, reporting on the status of mangrove
management worldwide, and raising awareness of the vital importance of mangrove ecosystems
to planetary well-being.

Comparison of Mangrove C Storage

10 Countries with the largest mangrove forest in the world

Areas (1000 Ha)

Ecosystem C Storage (Mg ha-1)

1,200
1,000
800
600
4002000

Source: Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia

Above-ground live + deadSoils 0-3- cm depth – roots
Soils below 30 cm depth

BorealTemperate

Tropicalupland

MangroveIndo-PacificSource: Donato et al. (2011). Nature Geoscience.

We thank the government and people of Indonesia
and the Province of Bali for their kind hospitality inhosting the conference which was organized jointly byITTO, MoEF of Indonesia and ISME with the support ofmany partners includingCIFOR, FAO, USFS and AFoCo
as well as proactive mangrove related civil society
groups and the private sector in Indonesia. We also
thank the governments of Japan and the USA for theirgenerous contributions to ITTO that allowed theconference to take place.
This document is not a negotiated document but rather a compilation of views
and ideas put forward during the conference and does not necessarily reflect
the views and/or agreement of the governments or entities that provided
funding for this conference.

Presentation materials delivered at the International
Conference on Sustainable Mangrove Ecosystems canbe found at http://www.itto.int/mangrove2017/