SUFUMANG

The SUFUMANG (Sustainable and Fair Use of MANGroves) project seeks to understand the system of values and uses associated with mangroves among local communities, using new analytical frameworks to assess how and why these factors help explain changes in mangrove condition, including degradation, conservation, and improvement. Some uses may affect ecosystem integrity, but local communities and their activities in mangrove ecosystems can also play a key role in maintaining mangrove condition, while ensuring human well-being and preserving both the instrumental and relational values of these ecosystems; for example, through the maintenance of complex cultural landscapes.

Mangrove wood harvesting is a particular focus of the project because this use is highly controversial. It is criticized in much of the scientific literature and is often prohibited or regulated by law; yet it provides an essential source of energy for communities for which it may be the only available energy resource. We are developing a model of the interactions between wood harvesting and mangrove biomass to test hypotheses—for example, the existence of a tipping point associated with overexploitation—and to develop scenario-based approaches. These scenarios will allow us to explore questions such as: What happens if a protected area is established? What are the consequences of imposing a harvesting quota on the resource?
With support from the MSI, a prototype model currently being developed for a descriptive application to one of the project's case studies (Casamance, Senegal) will be developed into a generic model applicable to mangrove ecosystems worldwide.