Mangrove restoration AquaForest, Ecuador
Ecosystem services
Mangroves are disappearing at a fast pace due to intensive aquaculture activities, wood harvesting, and urban development. The goal of the AquaForest project is to create a blueprint for mangrove restoration, that can be implemented in other countries and regions on a large scale. The 50-hectare island we created in Ecuador is the first example.
Dominic De Prins, project manager for AquaForest in Ecuador at Jan De Nul Group:
Jan De Nul has a 25-year concession contract for maintenance dredging in the access channel to the port of Guayaquil in Ecuador. Early in the project, we noticed a lot of shallow tidal flats near the access channel. We came up with the idea to elevate one of these areas by reusing dredged sediment from the access channel, that would allow the development of mangrove habitats. This enables us to connect nature restoration to one of our key activities. We truly believe this project has the potential for large-scale mangrove restoration worldwide.
AquaForest in numbers
Did you know?
- Mangrove deliver important eco-system services: they are carbon sinks, serve as water filters, are hotspots for biodiversity, protect coasts from erosion and support socio-economic activitites.
- The island is built using dredged material from a local access channel, making this type of nature-based solutions economically feasible.
- We established a local management system for the mangrove island, building upon its ecological and socio-economic value. Local stakeholders and communities were involved in every step of the project and act as custodians.
AquaForest in detail
The first step in the construction of the mangrove island was to establish conditions that are ideal for the growth of mangrove. To achieve this, we conducted an extensive feasibility study and applied targeted eco-engineering. We investigated the interaction with waves and currents, how water flows through and drains from the soil, the type of soil in which mangrove trees thrive, the interaction with other plants and species... And we looked at the type of protection juvenile mangrove trees need during the first months of their development.
In the next years, the AquaForest partners will test, monitor and quantify the efficiency of this newly created mangrove ecosystem. They will look at its qualities in protecting coastal communities against floods and erosion, in increasing biodiversity, and in supporting the development of socio-economic activities. This pilot project should pave the way for other similar projects in the region, as well as globally in other locations where mangrove forest can thrive.
