The role of surface elevation in the rehabilitation of abandoned aquaculture ponds to mangrove forests, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Published source details Oh R.R.Y., Friess D.A. & Brown B.M. (2017) The role of surface elevation in the rehabilitation of abandoned aquaculture ponds to mangrove forests, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Ecological Engineering, 100, 325-334.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Create mounds or hollows: brackish/saline swamps Action Link
	Restore/create brackish/saline marshes or swamps (multiple actions) Action Link

Create mounds or hollows: brackish/saline swamps

A study in 2013–2014 in a disused aquaculture pond in South Sulawesi, Indonesia (Oh et al. 2017) reported that approximately seven months after depositing a mound of branches (and releasing mangrove propagules), the mound had been colonized by 29 mangrove tree seedlings. Methods: In November 2013, a 770-m² pile of branches was added to a disused aquaculture pond to create a raised mound (extending above the range of elevations colonized by mangroves in other ponds). Walls within the wider pond system were breached to improve tidal exchange. In December 2013, >218,000 propagules (of >7 species) were added to the ponds at high tide. Seedlings growing in the pile of branches were counted in June 2014.

(Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)
Restore/create brackish/saline marshes or swamps (multiple actions)

A site comparison study in 2013–2014 in disused aquaculture ponds in South Sulawesi, Indonesia (Oh et al. 2017) reported that 6–7 months after carrying out restoration interventions, the ponds contained 651 mangrove plants and more mangrove species than nearby reference forests. The restored ponds contained 471 mangrove seedlings/saplings and 180 mangrove trees. Of these, only 137 (21%) were found on reprofiled areas (so definitely colonized after intervention). In total, the restored ponds contained 13 mangrove species (vs 11 in nearby reference forests). The most common genera in both restored and reference forests were Rhizophora spp. (54–65% of seedlings/saplings; 29% of trees) and Avicennia spp. (21–23% of seedlings/saplings; 31–42% of trees). Methods: In November/December 2013, twenty-nine disused aquaculture ponds (21.5 ha) were subjected to multiple restoration interventions: breaching pond walls to improve tidal exchange, reprofiling some walls to more suitable elevations for mangroves (details not reported), adding a pile of broken branches to trap propagules, and releasing >218,000 propagules (>7 species) at high tide. In June 2014, vegetation was surveyed in the restored ponds and two nearby reference mangrove forests (the least disturbed local forests; area surveyed not clearly reported).

(Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)