Youth Climate Action – Mangrove Planting Project
Laudato Si – MSC JPIC – Kiribati Catholic Youth – Climate Action “Mangrove Planting Project” – St Joseph Parish, Bikenibeu, Tarawa, Kiribati
Overview of the project
This “Youth Mangrove Planting Project” is initiated by the call of Pope Francis in his encyclical “Laudato si” in which he calls upon all people to take care of their common home. In 2021, during the “Season of Creation” which began from the beginning of September and concluded on October 4, 2021, marked the beginning of this “Youth Mangrove Planting Project”. It was on October 4, 2021 that more than a hundred youth came together for a celebration of the mass, followed by the planting of around 2 thousand mangroves to mark its beginning. In the same year the youth gathered again for more mangrove planting. It was decided to make this an annual event, at least twice a year. The original goal was to plant 16 thousand mangroves to represent the number of parishioners at St Joseph parish Bikenibeu, Tarawa, Kiribati, the largest parish in Kiribati. But this later changed to keep planting mangroves annually, even if it surpasses 16 thousand mangroves. Even though there have been some mangrove planting done by various groups, this organisation focuses on the youth to be actively engaged in this project to play a role in the protection of their low-lying islands and to influence other youth to participate. For the last three years, different youth members have participated, from 21 sectors or villages of the parish. Even though there are no financial support from the government, the youth have been fortunate to get a support from their catechists and sector leaders, as well as the support from the parish for their transport and lunch for the day’s activity. At one mangrove planting event, the Chinese Embassy had been generous in donating caps, shorts and shirts for the youth to wear on the day of the mangrove planting activity. About 7 thousand mangroves have been planted.
The purpose of this "youth mangrove planting project" is to make the youth aware of the climate change crisis and to engage them to participate in this project to fight and to mitigate future negative impacts to climate change to their low-lying islands. The youth have a significant role in the fight against climate change and to be actively involved to protect their coastal land area and also to provide habitat and a breeding ground for the marine life species. Mangroves have an important role to protect the coastal land area and also to provide habitat and a breeding ground for the marine eco system and to safeguard the marine biodiversity, affected by warmer sea temperatures and rising sea levels.
Ongoing research
October 4, 2021 - project still in progress
The quantitative results that have been achieved through this ‘Youth Mangrove Planting Project’ are the following:
- The first gathering of youth on October 4, 2021, counted more than a hundred, boys and girls, and around 2 thousand mangroves were planted; some youth did a general clean up along the Bonriki causeway. About 20 rubbish bags were collected.
- In the same year and in the following years 2022 and 2023 saw the participation of more and more youth in this mangrove planting project. The program was done in a fun picnic spirit. After the mangrove planting and a general clean up, it followed by fun games, volleyball, relaxation and with music.
- For the last 3 years, from 2021-2023, around 7 thousand mangroves have been planted and are growing well. This will continue.
Some of the qualitative results are the following:
- For the last 3 years, the youth have become more familiar with the mangrove planting.
- In the first activity the youth were taught how to plant mangroves, three in one spot, with a certain distance between. While the young men dig holes for mangroves, the girls help with the planting.
- Before the first planting, the youth were told by an employee from the ministry of environment the importance of protecting our environment.
- The youth are enthusiastic about this project because they see the value in this project.
- Apart from the youth, their leaders also participate in this project, thus making it a community project. The mangrove planting has given the youth a sense of ownership and responsibility to become responsible stewards of creation.
Since the beginning of this Mangrove Planting Project, financial assistance was provided by the 21 sectors of the parish for the transport and food and drinks for the youth. The parish also provided financial assistance. The Chinese embassy donated caps, shorts and shirts for the youth for the day's activity. Recently one parish in the US is willing to donate AUS$5,000 for this year 2024.
organisation
Laudato Si – MSC JPIC – Kiribati Catholic Youth – Climate Action “Mangrove Planting Project” – St Joseph Parish, Bikenibeu, Tarawa, Kiribati
On October 4th, 2021, we began the Youth Mangrove Planting project, to commemorate the end of the Season of Creation and in response to the call of Pope Francis to ‘take care of our common home’. More than a hundred youth came for the mass, and later participated in planting about 2 thousand mangroves at a given site by the Ministry of Education, in Kiribati. Apart from the mangrove planting, some youth were engaged in a general clean up along the Bonriki causeway. For the last 3 years, the youth have planted around 7 thousand mangroves in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This project aims to engage the youth in planting mangroves at least 3 times annually.
The Ministry of Environment in Kiribati has provided help to the “Youth Mangrove Planting Project” by providing a site for planting, and personnel to assist the youth in the selecting of mangrove seedlings and its preparation as well as its initial planting. It is a policy that the youth have to inform the Ministry of Environment for their day of picking mangrove seedlings and the day for the mangrove planting. This ensures that the youth pick the right mature mangrove seedlings and they also need to monitor or to count the number of mangroves planted by the youth since 2021.
For the last 3 years, the Chinese Embassy, through the MP of South Tarawa, donated caps, shirts and shorts for the youth to wear on the day of the mangrove planting.
Recently, one parish from the US is willing to donate AUS$5,000 for the 3 mangrove planting activities this year 2024. There is another local community that has shown interest in offering a donation but this is yet to be confirmed.