Environment & Ecosystem Science (EES)

The ecological restoration of mangroves is evolving from large monospecific replantation projects to the systemic approaches (hydro-geomorphological rehabilitation and local communities’ involvement). To evaluate the effectiveness of these emerging projects to restore mangroves, this paper combines the analysis of 198 restoration project through literature review and the evaluation of a case study in the Philippines, where a restoration project combining replanting mangroves, the construction of infrastructure to limit wave and swell energy, and the development of a sustainable local economy was conducted. The results are mixed, with the failure of most of the reforestation actions (average survival rate of 1.5%), the failure of the maintenance of infrastructure, such as sediment traps, and the unsustainability of four income-generating activities. On the other hand, the installation of breakwaters was a success in terms of sediment accretion, as was the implementation of two income-generating activities. In addition, local communities’ perceptions of the project are mostly positive. These results show that there are still important shortcomings in these projects, which are caused by a lack of knowledge regarding the ecology of mangroves’ social ecosystems, as well as the governance system.