Mangroves play a critical role in coastal infrastructure resilience by stabilizing shorelines, protecting human settlements and reducing the need for artificial barriers. Their extensive root systems protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surges, and tsunamis, significantly reducing flood damages. Protecting and restoring mangrove biodiversity enhances their capacity for climate change mitigation through increased carbon storage. Despite their importance, mangrove coverage has sharply declined in the past 40 years. Raising awareness about their significance for disaster resilience is crucial for their conservation. Integrating mangroves into disaster-resilient infrastructure planning enhances their effectiveness in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate adaptation.

 

The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, established by UNESCO in 2015 and celebrated on July 26, aims to highlight the importance of these unique and vulnerable ecosystems and promote their preservation. This year, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is organizing a DRI Dialogue to showcase the role of mangrove ecosystems in resilience and climate adaptation. Through this interactive dialogue, expert speakers and community practitioners will share insights and best practices for bridging knowledge and capacity gaps, increasing mangrove cover, bolstering political will and momentum, integrating mangroves as nature-based infrastructure solutions, and documenting the costs and benefits of mangrove ecosystems.