Earthwatch Award Recipient Summary
Awardee: Mark Huxham, Ph.D
Affiliation: Napier University
Project: Mangroves of the Kenyan Coast
Award: 2005 Aviva/Earthwatch Award for Climate Change Research
Project Synopsis
Earthwatch teams are helping Dr. Mark Huxham and his team restore mangrove ecosystems degraded by years of deforestation in Gazi Bay, on the coast of Kenya. They have planted experimental plots with varying mangrove species compositions, and are determining the best practices to restore ecosystem functionality and forest biodiversity. Mangroves provide a vital resource for coastal communities, acting as a nursery for economically important fish and protecting the coast from erosion and neighboring coral reefs from siltation. They can also sequester 1.36 metric tons of carbon per year, making them an important factor in mitigating the impact the current climate warming trend. Dr. Huxham's team has worked closely with the local population to provide for a sustainable forest valued by the community.
Award Outcomes
The Aviva Award allowed Dr. Huxham to:
· Recruit a Kenyan masters student to join research team
· Expand research of mangrove carbon sequestration
Although Dr. Huxham's team plans to assess carbon sequestration in their plantation experiments, now just two years old, they also needed to know how carbon storage works in natural or mature stands of mangrove. They could not have attempted this research without the full-time help of a dedicated student. With the Aviva award, Dr. Huxham hired a Kenyan masters student to work full time on this problem. The student will be helping other team members produce an inventory of carbon stocks, both above and below-ground, in mangrove stands of different ages and species. This will allow the team to estimate how much carbon mangroves can sequester and whether this changes with forest age or species composition. These findings will be a valuable addition to Dr. Huxham's mangrove restoration research, and a vital clue to the role of mangroves in moderating climate change.
Publications and Papers
Pending
Quotes
"Mangroves can play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change. I hope that we can learn more about whether mangroves might help in the fight to slow climate change as well."
"I was naturally delighted to receive the award, as acknowledgement of the work of my team and of the importance of mangroves in providing ecosystem services. Given the often negative role that large corporations play in ecological destruction, I was also pleased to see Aviva taking the threat from climate change seriously and committing money to it."
"Our philosophy has always been to work with Kenyan scientists and research assistants whenever possible. This is the key to helping develop scientific capacity there. This award can go a long way in Kenya, employing a full-time student for six months. This is important not just for the results we can get, but also as a way of expanding the team at Gazi, generating a good research base and community for the others working there."
"I am proud to work with Earthwatch and delighted with the support and enthusiasm our work receives from them. Although the Earthwatch model is not the simplest way of funding science, it is one of the most rewarding, and I am confident that our project makes a difference to the lives of those we work with."