theCaribbean Norlh and Central America and

environment Box1'l ,1 Mangrove restoration encouraged interactions inthearid byplant-microbe ofBaja California Sur, Mexico
(b)th forBiol1gical Besearch Yoav Bashan, LuzE,de-Bashan atEnviranmental Microbialogy Njfthwestern Center Gr1up, (C\BN)R), Tucs1n, Ariz1na, LaPaz, Mexic}; and Depaftment afS1il, Water Envi1nmental UniversiA 0fAriz)na, and Science, (Synthetic and Gerardo T0ledo Diego, US, Gen)mics,lnc., San Califarnia, US) 1991 twosections Around to 1992, ofthemangrove f0rest at Balandra Lagoon intheBaja California Peninsula 0f Mexico were (see illegally clear-cut, leavlng bare areas with tree stumps Figure re-vegetation inarid I LI ).Natural ofmangroves climates isa very process years slow that can take many if not suppOrted byartific al propagated plants greenhouses. reforestation 0f in In1995, the area grown with very fewnaturally was stillbare, small mangrove shrubs large expanses ofthesaltmarsh halOph),,te and Salicornia bigelovii. reforestation Conventional 0f the entire destroyed areawas given impractical, thelack ofsufficient resources and lack 0fgovernlnterest in restoration ment of mangroves atthattime. Theref0re, wedec ded upon anirnovat ve app'Oacf. gven thafannua weedlng ofcompeting was to thearea other perfOrmed years for three et shrulls, which was Sarcornla fioledo 2001). al, was flourishing, Only therestored mangrove area In 2007, (see naturalforest bysmallertrees from theprimary distinguishable populations crab in the In2005, asurvey showed that Figure 11.2). had not completely recovered totheevel oftheintact restored area is needed forthis fauna. stand. Perhaps more time mangrove within theclear-cut themicrobial nitr0gen-cycle activities However, 2007. had completely recovered byearly area

cutareaof aid zanemangr1ves Figuie11,1 Clear at Laguna deEalandra, Baja Sur, Mexico, circa1994 California

inLaguna deBalandra, Baja Calfarnia Figurc 11 ,2Aftet testarattan, the sane area Mexico, in2007 Sur,

was established inSeptember I994 using A nursery sand culture p0ts planted gerninans irrigated with seawater and wlth Avicennia Some 0ftheplants were inoculated with seeds. thenitrogenJixing cyanobacterium Mtcrocaleus sp.Inis is believed to assist inthe groMh (Bashan and oflheseedlings etal,1998) establishment and growth-promoting (PGPB), 0fplant isone 0fa group bacteria which phosphorus, recycle scarce nutrients, such asnitrogen and within (Holguin mangrove ecosystems etal, 2001). After four months, 500seedllngs were transplanted toshallow thatconnect secondary channels theclear-cut area tothecentral lagoon sectjon with itsintact mangrove forest. No special treatment

visitors the'new outcome was that ocal appreciated A surprising green f0rest inthemiddle ofthe dry look'0f their beautiful mangrove propos""d the Balandra 2006, when a developer converting deseft. In golf resort, thepubllc outcry was soloud ntoanother course shore 'development' In2008, thearea was declared that the was delayed. protected that restorau0n wetland, We wish tobelieve our a Ramsar t0 this conservation attitude, success contributed recent restoration ofa hurricaneAnother case 0fsuccessful Baja California Sur, Mexico mangrove atPunta dell\il0gote, damaged (Holguin is described in detail at www.bashan et al, 2006) html. f0undation.org/conservation2.

upon adjacent mangrove areas, while on the Pacific Coast the EscaleraNlutica (Nautical Staircase)project has begun a long-term plan to enlarge or build 24 wirh numerous :irporr'. p o r r \ a n d m a r i n d \ ,t o g e t h e r hotels, roads and golf courses across the region to

recrearional boating (Escalera-Nautica, 2007). There will inevitably be considerable pressures on coastal ecosystems such as mangrovesfrom direct destruction, hydrological alleration, pollution and the impacts of freshwater abstracrion.