The Mangrove Lab, NUS
Research
mangrove ecosystem services : sea level rise : deforestation : mangrove restoration and conservation
We use ecosystem services to investigate changes to mangrove forests, and how best to protect them. We investigate these questions from the patch to the landscape-scale, integrating a range of field-based and remote sensing techniques. Much of this research is conducted with Government agencies, NGOs and academic collaborators in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Quantifying ecosystem services
We measure mangrove ecosystem services such as fisheries, wave attenuation and microclimate regulation. We have a particular focus on blue carbon modelling at the site and national scale using field and remote sensing techniques. We have also developed novel tools using social media to assess cultural ecosystem services such as the recreational, spiritual and aesthetic values of mangroves.
Mangroves and sea level rise
We are investigating how mangrove ecosystem services respond to sea level rise, using radionuclides and the Rod Surface Elevation Table (RSET) technique. We installed some of the first RSETs in Southeast Asia, and we regularly train other collaborators in the region in order to expand this network further. Contact us if you'd like to install RSETs in your own sites.
Mangrove deforestation
We use aerial photography, airborne multispectral, satellite multispectral, terrestrial laser scanning and LiDAR to map wetland change and deforestation. We do this at the local scale (e.g., Myanmar), national scale (e.g., Singapore) and the regional scale (Southeast Asia). Most recently, we identified oil palm as an under-recognized driver of mangrove loss.
Mangrove conservation, policy and restoration
We critically investigate mangrove Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) as a conservation tool, particularly governance and implementation challenges in Southeast Asia. We also apply our knowledge of geomorphology to mangrove restoration sites. We first worked with an NGO in Sulawesi, and have since started our own restoration site in Singapore.