Evidence Mapping: Investigating the Social and Ecological Impacts of Conservation in Mangrove Ecosystems

Abstract

The global extent of mangrove forests has been rapidly declining in recent decades, raising concerns about the loss of the ecological and social services they provide. There is an increasing urgency to understand best approaches to conserve mangrove forests given their decline. This project seeks to identify literature that addresses the question: What is the extent and occurrence of evidence for ecological and social impacts of conservation interventions within mangrove ecosystems? Following systematic mapping standards, we develop and apply a search strategy to identify relevant literature that evaluates the impacts of conservation in mangrove forests. Our research culminates in a structured matrix, organizing our findings by interventions and outcomes of interest. We find that of the 39 included studies, the majority of the evidence base examined linkages between conservation interventions and ecological outcomes, with a noticeable dearth in studies evaluating social outcomes; specifically, awareness raising, and education and training outcomes. We conclude with recommendations for how to use our systematic map geared towards conservation researchers, policy makers, and practitioners.