THANKS FOR VISITING FLOWLAB!

We hope you enjoyed learning more about the world of global trade and innovation.

By using new smart technologies to make our operations more sustainable, we cut energy and resource use to create a fairer and more connected planet. At the same time, it prepares us for a radical shift in how business in general, and logistics in particular, respond to the great challenges of climate change, education and social inequality.

We also partner with different organisations to create lasting impact in sustainability and wildlife conservation. At the end of FlowLab, you saw how your work is going towards planting mangroves. Scroll down to find out more about them and the work that DP World is doing to create a better future for everyone.

What are mangroves?

Mangroves are coastal, intertidal (an area where the ocean meets the land) forests.

Why are they important?

Mangroves play a vital role in protecting coasts from storms and floods, serving as a habitat for wildlife, and a key role in climate change regulation by capturing significantly more carbon from the environment than other trees.

Why is DP World doing this?

DP World works with a number of partners on sustainability projects, from preserving oyster beds in the UK to habitat protection in Africa. We do this as a leading enabler of global trade – we believe we have the tools, ingenuity and drive to lead a revolution in logistics.

What will my work do?

Mangroves exist all around the world, but for your work in FlowLab, DP World will help ZSL to restore 1 hectare – or 1000 m2 – of mangroves in the Philippines.

Why are mangroves important in the Philippines?

Since the 1960s, over half of all mangroves in the Philippines have been destroyed to make way for fishponds (from 450,000 hectares in 1918 to 240,000 hectares in 2003). The target, detailed in the stalled Coastal Greenbelt Bill, is to develop a 100-metre coastal greenbelt to build resilience, particularly in areas vulnerable to the typhoons and storm surges. As these natural disasters are becoming more frequent and severe because of climate change, a coastal greenbelt would help prevent coastal erosion and mitigate the adverse impacts on human lives and property. This greenbelt can be achieved by seafront planting or reversion of abandoned ponds.

Seafront planting has become a very popular activity in the Philippines (and elsewhere), encouraged by increased environmental awareness and large-scale replanting programmes that provide good photo opportunities. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of scientific guidance and protocols which has resulted in very high failure rates of seafront planting and even incursion of planting mangroves into seagrass beds.

Your mission

Investigate other innovative solutions to the climate crisis. Think about the difference you could make from buying a water bottle to stop single-use plastic, to a school recycling campaign, or even an innovation that could change the world! Everything starts with an idea – what’s yours?