My Nonprofit Reviews

I have been working with friends from the Mangrove Action Project now for about 18 months. Their work addresses the real issues on the ground, and they are embedded and support their programs for the long-term. Mangrove restoration is a notoriously failing field - what impresses me about MAP is a real appreciation for science and ecological knowledge to make their work a success, while framed within a strong local community conservation view. This is truly novel and interdisciplinary, and differentiates MAP from most other mangrove restoration and community NGOs. For my own work, MAP have always been supportive and helpful beyond the call of duty. There is one particular thing I would like to highlight. In August 2011 MAP Thailand organized a novel and thought-provoking workshop, involving academics from Thailand, Australia and Singapore, local NGOs from Thailand and the region, international NGOs, local and regional government, and local villagers and fishermen. I have never participated in such a wide-ranging, holistic grouping. I have never had the opportunity to discuss mangrove conservation with such a varied group of stakeholders, and probably never will again, but MAP had the trust of everyone in that room to facilitate such a novel event - and coastal management can only be successful with such an approach. Several other collaborations have come from this, which I hope will further enhance mangrove restoration in the region. MAP is a great catalyst for coastal conservation - there are several aspects of MAP that should be serving as role models for other environmental NGOs in the region.

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