They have put in some 400,000 mangrove trees since a restoration initiative started two decades ago, in what was initially a bid to increase the catch of local fishermen.
Mangroves make up less than one per cent of tropical forests worldwide but are crucial in the fight against climate change because they are more effective than most other forests at absorbing and storing planet-heating carbon. Their small initiative has won recognition — to date about 30 local companies have sponsored their tree-planting as part of corporate social responsibility projects.
"We did not have the capacity to deliver other things, like turning this into an eco-tourism site or getting more youths involved," he said, adding they did not receive further support as a result. Lately there has been a rise in pledges, including at November's UN COP26 climate summit, where about US$19 billion was promised in public and private funding to protect and restore forests.