Su Myat Win has lived all her life in the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park, the low, flat expanse along coastal Myanmar. She has seen the change. The mangroves used to extend as much as two miles out to sea but are now almost gone because of timber cutting and mismanaged fish farming. Only 16% of Myanmar’s once-massive mangrove forest remains. It is decimating a way of life and decimating our climate because mangroves are a huge store of CO₂.

This project is working to restore the coastal forest by planting ten million mangrove trees, which will sequester over four million tonnes of CO₂. With your support and the enthusiastic participation of the local population, five million trees have already been planted. It’s an amazing accomplishment for the mangroves and for Earth.

Su Myat Win and many of her female friends and neighbors have been right there to help. In return for their participation, this project taught them sustainable clam farming techniques to develop their own business. By selling their clams to local hotels, they have new jobs, much more income and independence, and an informed commitment to conservation. That commitment is spreading to other communities. By showing people how to improve their lives through conservation and sustainability, additional communities are voluntarily jumping in to help restore the vital ecosystem.

There are another five million mangrove trees to be planted, but many hands make light work, and thousands of people all along the Myanmar coast are eager to help.

Thank you for supporting this project, and Su Myat Win, in 2018.