Abstract

In recent decades, mangrove ecosystems in Martinique have suffered from climatic and anthropogenic pressures, including chemical pollution, waste, and clearing for coastal development. This degradation diminishes their vital ecosystem services, which are particularly crucial for climate change mitigation in the hurricane-prone Caribbean region. Hurricanes, such as Dean in 2007, have exacerbated these effects. Ecological restoration, including active planting, is an important option being explored by Roots of the Sea, a grassroots youth-led NGO, to engage local communities and enhance restoration success and ensure coastal protection. With the effects of climate change intensifying, achieving the success of such initiatives is increasingly important. Roots of the Sea has established Martinique’s first mangrove tree nursery managed by a civil society organization, cultivating nearly 1,000 plants of three species: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), and white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). Various substrates were tested for optimal growth, with no significant differences observed so far. Due to challenges in cultivating the buttonwood tree (Conocarpus erectus) and the importance of maintaining ecosystem diversity across the coastal to inland transition zone, we are currently undergoing technical and ecological training for this particular species. Through the development of this project, we encountered challenges typical for civil society organizations, such as legal restrictions on biodiversity manipulation and volunteer availability. We aim to provide strategies to mitigate these challenges, ensuring more sustainable restoration of these ecosystems in the future.