**3.4 Main challenges associated with the effective management of the Mangrove ecosystem at Mon Repos**

Despite the proliferation of mangroves at some sections of the study site, there are several key challenges confronting the effective management of the mangroves. Among them are the following:


*Perspectives and Application of Land Use Management Strategies to Address Mangrove… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112752*


These challenges threaten the integrity and resilience of the mangrove ecosystem and if they remain unattended will in the long-run lead to degradation and destruction of the mangrove ecosystem and other related consequences, such as intrusion


#### **Table 1.**

*Proposed strategies to address the challenges of the Mon Repos mangrove ecosystem.*

of saline water and soil degradation and damage to crops and other near shore developments from flooding.

### **4. Conclusions**

Mangrove ecosystem protection and management has been a problematic and difficult undertaking across Guyana for several decades. Apart from the natural processes associated with ocean currents and tidal changes that compound the issues, there are a range of social, economic, and environmental areas of concerns that are also involved. Many of the local coastal communities continue to degrade the coastal environment and destroy mangrove forests with impunity. Overall, the problem does not appear to point to a single solution. In a sense, lack of collaboration among the stakeholder groups seems germane to the problem.

This study focused on the community of Mon Repos as a case study of the nature, context, and possible directions in which the authorities and local community members need to go if meaningful actions are to be taken to deal with mangrove ecosystem management. One of the key areas identified in the study is the application of GIS and Remote Sensing technologies to undertake real-time scientific data for zoning and managing the site and monitoring the mangrove ecosystem. However, the study alludes to the fact the technology while it exists in some of the key agencies in Guyana, there is no coordinated effort to maximize benefits from its use. There is the problem of limited technical skills and financing and fragmentation to enable proper coordination and maximization of efforts to address the problem. There is still a long way to go before real progress can be made to manage the site effectively.

Finally, several actions/strategies have been proposed in the paper to address the issues that confront mangrove ecosystem management at the study area of Mon Repos. These include collecting more accurate, up-to-date, and reliable scientific data supported by GIS a RS technologies to conduct in-depth study of mangroves at Mon Repos and preparing a multiple use conservation zoning plan to preserve the multiple ecosystem services that the mangroves could provide for the community. Some of these suggestions are not only applicable to the study area but also several other mangrove sites along the coast. Reference has been made to Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. While specific timelines and costings have not been provided in the paper, **Table 1** provides some guidance on the line of thought that could give an insight into policy direction to address this difficult issue. Greater inter-agency collaboration seems to be one of the actions that need to be undertaken urgently.
