Mangrove Ecology, Blue Carbon, and Restoration
Details
Note: Yale School of the Environment (YSE) was formerly known as the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES). News articles and events posted prior to July 1, 2020, refer to the School's name at that time.
Summary
Blended Short Course:
Mangrove Ecology, Blue Carbon, and Restoration
June 1 - July 25, 2026
Learn about the science and management of mangrove ecosystems to support project design, policy development, and decision-making.
Mangrove ecosystems occur in more than 100 countries worldwide and play a critical role in coastal social–ecological systems. They support biodiversity and fisheries, sustain livelihoods, protect coastlines from storm surges and erosion, and store large amounts of carbon that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Despite these benefits, mangroves remain highly threatened by aquaculture expansion, infrastructure development, and coastal land conversion, highlighting the need for informed conservation and management.
Hosted by Yale’s Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI) and Yayasan Hutan Biru (Blue Forests), this blended online and field course is designed for professionals from government, civil society, academia, and the private sector. The course combines the ecological and social fundamentals of mangrove ecosystems with practical techniques for designing, implementing, and monitoring mangrove restoration projects. Participants will expand their knowledge and skills to apply the concepts to their own social and environmental contexts.
During five online modules, participants will learn from many different speakers worldwide and come together in real-time on Zoom to interact with a network of global environmental leaders. Participants may also select to attend an in-person field week in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, providing hands-on experience with mangrove conservation and rehabilitation efforts.
The ELTI blended courses offer the opportunity for participants to explore specific topics in a low-commitment five week online experience with an optional field week in the tropics.
Cost & Admissions
The online component has a cost of USD $600 that includes a) access to videos, case studies, and other online materials, b) interaction with instructors and guest experts in live sessions on Zoom, and c) reflection assignments with comments and feedback from instructors
At the end of the course, participants that have successfully fulfilled the course requirements will receive a certificate of completion. The deadline to enroll and pay for the online component is April 15, 2026, after which additional registrations will be accepted as long as spaces are available.
The optional field component has an additional cost of USD $2000 that includes:
- Direct interaction, instruction, and guided site visits by expert instructors from Blue Forests and partner organizations, local villagers, and representatives of community groups
- Lodging and food from arrival July 19 to departure July 25
- Ground transportation during the course as well as transfers to and from the Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (UPG) on arrival and departure days
Group discounts available. Contact us for more information: elti@yale.edu.
Applications open February 13 - April 15, 2026.
Content
The course content is divided into six weeklong modules:
- Online Week 1: Introduction to mangrove ecosystems
- Online Week 2: Mangrove ecology and blue carbon
- Online Week 3: Human dimensions and livelihoods
- Online Week 4: Mangrove restoration and management
- Online Week 5: Technologies and approaches to monitoring One week pause
- Field Week 6 (optional): South Sulawesi, Indonesia
Online Component
During each of the five online modules, participants will access videos, readings, discussion forums, and other materials that will allow them to learn at their own pace. The course also includes real-time interaction in weekly live sessons on Zoom during which participants will exchange experiences and expertise with ELTI facilitators and other guest speakers.
During the first few modules, participants will learn about the fundamentals of mangrove ecosystems, including: what mangroves are, where they are found, and why they are important for coastal environments and people. Then participants will take a deeper dive into mangrove ecology and blue carbon, focusing on the ecological processes that shape mangrove forests and how carbon is stored and lost in mangrove biomass and soils.
Building on this ecological foundation, participants then examine how people use and govern mangroves, including cultural relationships, policy frameworks, and trade-offs between conservation, livelihoods, and development. The course then focuses on applied management and case studies, with an emphasis on ecological mangrove restoration, site assessment and community-based mangrove rehabilitation. The course concludes with an overview of mangrove monitoring methods, including field surveys, remote sensing, and emerging technologies to support effective conservation and management.
Field component
South Sulawesi, Indonesia hosts some of Indonesia’s most ecologically and economically valuable mangrove ecosystems, which line its 1,937-kilometer coastline and surround its numerous offshore islands. Yet, South Sulawesi has seen a dramatic decline in mangrove cover over the past few decades, driven primarily by the conversion of mangroves into aquaculture ponds and coastal settlements, leading to widespread degradation of coastal ecosystems.
In this region, Yayasan Hutan Biru (Blue Forests) has been actively restoring mangrove ecosystems through community-based initiatives using the Ecological Mangrove Rehabilitation (EMR) approach. Unlike conventional planting methods, EMR emphasizes restoring natural hydrological conditions and enabling natural regeneration, ensuring more sustainable and ecologically sound outcomes.
The sites visited on the field course showcase real-world case studies of mangrove management that balance ecological restoration with sustainable livelihoods. Through hands-on field activities grounded in EMR, participants explore connections between coastal ecosystems and cultural heritage, engage with mangrove specialists, project managers, local villagers, and community groups to understand community-based management strategies and challenges, and examine the potential for community-led ecotourism to support conservation, cultural preservation, and local economic development.