IUCN & Mangrove Action Project
Mangroves: Reducing The Risk Of Disasters Through Nature-Based Solutions
Clients
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. By harnessing the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of some 15,000 experts, IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
Mangrove Action Project (MAP) is a US-based nonprofit which collaborates with stakeholders at all levels to preserve, conserve, and restore our world’s mangrove forests. By working with forest communities, research academics, forest and environment departments, policy makers, and international policy and funding groups, MAP encourages the preservation and conservation of existing mangroves, educate on how to restore degraded or unhealthy mangrove ecosystems, and encourage multiple generations to take an active interest in their local forests.
Context
Each of the 6 countries taking part in the IUCN Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure Communities (EPIC) project were required to produce short videos to disseminate the key message that healthy ecosystems are critical to reducing the impacts of future disasters, known as Ecosystem Based Disaster Risk Reduction.
Requirements
The objective for the video was to show that nature based solutions are an important strategy to deal with climate change intensified disasters. The focus of this video is a Community-based Ecological Mangrove Restoration project in Thailand. The video highlights how mangroves act as critical coastal bio shields which are able to self-repair following tropical storms, unlike man-made hard infrastructure. The video draws attention to how mangroves slow the process of coastal erosion which is accelerated by sea-level rise. The desired outcome of the video was to gain administrative support to securing a sustainable future for coastal communities by adopting the model implemented by MAP.
The video was shown at a number of locations, events and film festivals, including IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii at the Commission on Ecosystem Management and the Australian Mangrove & Salt Marsh Conference in Darwin. It was on display at the reception of IUCN Headquarters, Gland, Switzerland.
Solution
We worked together with MAP to develop their concept and combine the need to share their key message with a compelling story and visuals. We eventually shot the “Mangroves: Reducing The Risk Of Disasters Through Nature-Based Solutions” video.
Services
The quality of your work is inspiring and we are very privileged to have permission to use some of your photo and video images for our public outreach and education purposes. What better way for us to attract people from around the world to better appreciate and understand the mangroves than via the beautiful work of a great photographer such as yourself.
ALFREDO QUARTO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MANGROVE ACTION PROJECT
Creative Concept
This was a really fun, collaborative process between Tim Plowden and the client. Concept development in close collaboration with MAP’s creative and conservation leadership focused on developing a story which explains why the mangrove forest is such a vital sea defence to local communities.
Pre-Production
We co-developed a shooting schedule with the client to ensure coverage of both conservation issues and actions which included a mix of interviews and b-roll sequences. A number of local government and NGO stakeholders agreed to participate in interviews, so we contributed to an interview schedule and interview questions.
Video Shoot
This was a 5-day shoot spread out across Klang island and the Krabi River estuary in Thailand. After each day, we logged the footage and started immediately sorting to keep the post-production turnaround as minimal as possible.
The video footage illustrates the conservation work performed by the community to restore mangroves. We filmed two EPIC mangrove restoration sites on Klang Island near Krabi, site monitoring activity, hydrological improvement work, volunteers engaged in restoration work and a project advisory committee meeting.
The interviews with local residents explore how people have been affected by the loss of mangroves. Interviews with other key stakeholders helped provide different perspectives on the mangrove conservation work. Footage of mangrove forests in good condition helped to demonstrate the ecosystem services local communities rely on for livelihoods, especially from fishery based products.
Timeline
The entire process took about 5 months – 4 weeks for creative development, 4 weeks for pre-production, 1 week for production, and another 2 months for post-production by MAP of 1 video.
Production Specs
Cameras: 2
Shot in: HD
Shot on: Canon EOS
Lenses: Canon EF
Shoot Days: 5
Location: Krabi, Thailand
Final Cut
Check out the final piece: