New press release live from UNOC: Read here
.png)
Coastal risk vulnerability is no longer a future scenario. In February alone, its impacts were felt across very different geographies. In Andalucía, Spain, more than 3,000 preventive evacuations were carried out in flood-prone areas due to the risk of overflowing rivers. In Colombia, 18 coastal municipalities in the department of Córdoba were placed on high alert because of flooding, while the city of Cartagena issued extreme warnings as waves reached up to four meters. In Ireland, government weather alerts forecasted days of intense rainfall, with flood risks heightened by already saturated soils.
These are not isolated events. Today, storm surges, floods, and coastal erosion generate more than USD 80 billion in damages every year to infrastructure, productive assets, and local economies worldwide. As climate impacts intensify, these losses are expected to rise, placing growing pressure on public budgets, insurance systems, and long-term development planning.
This is precisely why the Mangrove Breakthrough has secured the endorsement of 48 national and subnational governments, alongside more than 100 financial institutions, NGOs, and companies. Together, they are rallying around one of the most efficient and proven technologies for coastal defense and climate adaptation: mangroves. The Mangrove Breakthrough is a movement designed to redefine how nature is valued and financed — by embedding it into the very core of economic and financial systems. This initiative aims to mobilize USD 4 billion to protect and restore 15 million hectares of mangroves globally by 2030.
Mangroves function as natural coastal defense systems. They reduce wave energy, stabilize shorelines, and limit erosion, protecting ports, roads, housing, and coastal businesses. Research shows that mangroves can reduce wave heights by up to 66% over short distances, offering levels of protection comparable to, and often more cost-effective than, traditional grey infrastructure.
Beyond physical protection, mangroves underpin coastal economies. They sustain fisheries and food security, support livelihoods, and capture carbon at rates four to five times higher than many terrestrial forests. Together, these benefits position mangroves as high-value, multi-benefit assets that avoid losses and deliver economic continuity and long-term resilience.
This is the core framing of the Mangrove Breakthrough: mangroves as infrastructure for life that are critical to economic stability and coastal security.
Read more about mangroves as a scalable investment opportunity for coastal resilience
The Mangrove Breakthrough kicked off 2026 with a major milestone. On the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the initiative secured the endorsement of the Government of Indonesia, home to the largest extent of mangroves in the world. This endorsement marks a significant step in positioning mangroves as a strategic component of national resilience, climate adaptation, and long-term development planning.
Indonesia hosts approximately 23% of the world’s mangrove reserves, an estimated 3.44 million hectares. With around 60 percent of the country’s population living in coastal areas, mangroves play a vital ecological and economic role. They support food security and livelihoods while protecting communities and infrastructure from storms, erosion, and sea level rise. For frontline coastal populations, mangroves are not an abstract environmental asset, but a system they interact with daily, critical for protection and stability.
In parallel, countries across Southeast Asia are advancing frameworks to integrate mangroves into broader policy and investment agendas. The Philippines, for example, continues to develop national and regional mangrove roadmaps that connect restoration with climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and coastal development. These developments position Southeast Asia as a key region for demonstrating how mangroves can function as natural infrastructure at scale, supported by political commitment, evidence, and long-term planning.
Learn more about Indonesia’s endorsement of the Mangrove Breakthrough.
Read more about Indonesia and Philippines case studies.
These developments point to a clear shift: mangroves are increasingly being treated as strategic assets within coastal risk and resilience planning.
For ministries of finance, development banks, insurers, and investors, this has direct implications. Mangroves reduce exposure to physical climate risk, lower future reconstruction costs, and help stabilize coastal economies. As climate-related losses rise, these protective functions are entering the same strategic conversations traditionally reserved for roads, ports, and seawalls.
The opportunity now is to move from isolated projects to systemic integration by embedding mangroves into infrastructure planning, adaptation finance, and national development strategies. Mangrove Breakthrough exists to help enable that transition by aligning evidence, policy frameworks, and finance at scale.
To support transparency and accountability, Mangrove Breakthrough has published its 2025 Impact Report. The report outlines how the initiative has advanced its mission to protect and restore mangroves by aligning governments, financial institutions, civil society, and technical partners around a shared vision of mangroves as natural infrastructure.
The report highlights key developments, including the expansion of political endorsements, the strengthening of coordination mechanisms, and the growing integration of mangroves into climate, resilience, and development agendas. It also provides insight into how Mangrove Breakthrough is laying the groundwork for long-term impact by building credible frameworks for action, financing, and implementation. Together, these elements offer a clear picture of where the initiative stands today and how it is preparing to scale its contribution in the years ahead.
In March, the Mangrove Breakthrough will release a new documentary filmed in territories where mangroves shape everyday life and resilience.
Through intimate scenes and firsthand voices, the film captures the relationship between communities, landscapes, and financial decisions that rarely enter global conversations, yet define the future of these ecosystems. This is not a panoramic view of mangroves worldwide, but a close and well-grounded story. The documentary will be launched later in March.
Until then, watch the trailer and step into the world where this story unfolds.
