The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are biodiverse regions with high levels of endemic species. The presence of mangrove forests along their coastlines provides a range of benefits for human livelihoods, including food security, income generation, and climate change mitigation. They also play an essential role in the Red Sea in terms of carbon sequestration and coastal protection from sea surges. Yet, mangrove degradation has been reported across the region due to over-cutting, pollution, and coastal construction. Dying mangrove trees is especially problematic along the southern coasts of Yemen and Sudan and on the Gulf of Aden coast in Djibouti. 

PROGREEN works with Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti to protect and restore mangrove forests, generate mangrove-based livelihoods, and improve coastal erosion management in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region. The country knowledge program will support the documentation of the stressors affecting mangrove landscapes in the Red Sea region, including country-specific analysis and a review of existing policy and legal frameworks for landscape management. The project team will then assess investment needs and opportunities to increase the carbon sequestration capacity of mangrove forests. Finally, the project team will identify strategies for supporting mangrove-based livelihoods and for improved coastal erosion management. 

The country knowledge program was approved in April 2024. During the program's first stages, the team briefed and consulted with government stakeholders to start collecting information on the current situation of mangroves in key countries, including Egypt and Djibouti. The team also conducted a mapping exercise to identify other donors working in tangential areas.