The Mangrove Coalition:

India’s mangroves stand as sentinels on the shore, sequestering and storing vast amounts of carbon, acting as buffers against storm surges, against the rising sea, and supporting livelihoods for tens of thousands of traditional fisherfolk. Despite their critical role, India has lost 40% of mangrove cover in the last century to urban expansion, agriculture and aquaculture. Coastal cities in particular are set to face a number of ecological and socio-economic challenges. To address this, The Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Foundation, Conservation International, the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Stanford University's Natural Capital Project, World Resources Institute and World Wildlife Foundation are partnering to form the Mangrove Coalition. The Coalition’s vision is to expand protection and management of urban mangrove ecosystems in India, through an interdisciplinary, integrated and inclusive approach to conservation. The Coalition will specifically focus on natural capital assessments, land use and governance, and ecological studies. Beginning with work in Mumbai and Chennai, the Coalition aims to create a model for India’s coastal cities to embrace the role of their mangroves to deal with climate resilience and adaptation.