Produce guidance for marsh or swamp conservation

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

65%
Certainty

25%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Producing guidance, manuals or evidence syntheses to improve the effectiveness of marsh or swamp conservation is, in itself, a conservation action! Effectiveness could be considered in terms of changing the behaviour of practitioners (Is the guidance consulted? Do practitioners change their behaviour when presented with guidance?) and, ideally, in terms of impacts on marsh or swamp vegetation (Are projects that use guidance more effective than those that do not?).

Guidance may be based on personal knowledge or experience, or be a more formal synthesis of published evidence (e.g. the synopses produced by Conservation Evidence, systematic reviews or meta-analyses). However, to be considered as evidence for this action, the guidance must have been written or used for the conservation of marsh or swamp vegetation.

To be clear, studies would be summarized as evidence for this action if the guidance is substantially related to marshes and swamps, even if it involves other wetland habitats (e.g. peatlands), aquatic habitats (e.g. rivers and lakes) or upland habitats (e.g. forests).

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects, on vegetation or human behaviour, of producing guidance for marsh or swamp conservation. The study was in Sri Lanka.

VEGETATION COMMUNITY

VEGETATION ABUNDANCE

VEGETATION STRUCTURE

OTHER

Survival (1 study): One study of coastal sites in Sri Lanka found that planted mangrove propagules/seedlings had a higher survival rate in sites where published guidance had been consulted to select appropriate areas for planting, than in sites where guidance was not consulted.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A study in 2012–2014 of 23 coastal sites in Sri Lanka (Kodikara et al. 2017) found that the average survival rate of planted mangrove propagules/seedlings was higher in sites where technical guidance was used (46%) than in sites where it was not used (0%). Methods: Between 2012 and 2014, the number of surviving, healthy mangrove trees was counted or estimated in 23 coastal sites around Sri Lanka. Mangrove propagules and seedlings (97% of which were Rhizophora spp.) had been planted between 1996 and 2009, with multiple planting attempts in all sites. Six sites used published technical guidance to direct planting towards sites thought to be ecologically, socially and/or politically suitable. The other 17 sites did not refer to technical guidance. Note that all of the sites that used guidance also carried out post-planting care (e.g. removing debris and righting fallen seedlings), whereas 13 of the 17 sites that did not use guidance did not carry out post-planting care.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Kodikara K.A.S., Mukherjee N., Jayatissa L.P., Dahdouh-Guebas F. & Koedam N. (2017) Have mangrove restoration projects worked? An in-depth study in Sri Lanka. Restoration Ecology, 25, 705-716.

Please cite as:

Taylor N.G., Grillas P., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2021) Marsh and Swamp Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions to Conserve Marsh and Swamp Vegetation. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Marsh and Swamp Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Provide education/training programmes about marshes or swamps Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	2	Synopsis Link
Produce guidance for marsh or swamp conservation Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link
Raise public awareness about marshes or swamps Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link