Habitat Protection and Restoration Programs

Habitat protection and restoration programs protect sensitive ecosystems and restore degraded habitats affected by port development and operations (IFC, 2012; PIANC, 2018). This may include, among others, identification of critical habitats (mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands), exclusion or buffer zones where development is restricted, restoration of mangroves or shoreline vegetation, creation of artificial reefs or habitat structures, management of invasive species, and biodiversity offsets where impacts cannot be avoided.

For DMC ports, habitat protection and restoration can enhance ecosystem resilience and climate adaptation, support fisheries and coastal livelihoods, improve shoreline protection from storms and erosion, maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services, and contribute to carbon sequestration through blue carbon habitats, such as mangroves and seagrasses (Gerona-Daga and Salmo, 2022).

Port development can impact coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass meadows, wetlands, and intertidal habitats. The mitigation hierarchy, embedded in frameworks such as IFC Performance Standard 6 on Biodiversity Conservation, requires IFC-financed port developers and operators to first avoid impacts, then minimize unavoidable impacts, restore affected habitats where feasible, and offset residual impacts where necessary to achieve no net loss or net gain of biodiversity (IFC, 2012).

The PIANC Working with Nature framework provides guidance on integrating ecosystem considerations into port development, supporting solutions that deliver both infrastructure and ecosystem benefits (PIANC, 2018). Working with Nature approaches include, among others, nature based solutions for coastal protection (such as mangrove buffers and living shorelines), ecological engineering of port infrastructure (such as habitat enhancement on quay walls and breakwaters), and integrated blue green infrastructure design.

In DMCs, mangrove ecosystems are particularly important. Mangroves provide coastal protection, fisheries support, carbon sequestration (blue carbon), and biodiversity habitat. A systematic review of mangrove restoration in Southeast Asia published in Frontiers in Marine Science documents lessons from restoration projects across the region, including, among others, the importance of correct site and species matching and community engagement in restoration and protection (Gerona-Daga and Salmo, 2022).

Coral reef impacts from port development, particularly dredging and sediment disturbance, can be substantial. Coral relocation programs move corals from areas to be impacted to receiving sites before construction. Post relocation monitoring supports adaptive management and verifies biodiversity outcomes. A study of the Kuala Tanjung Port development in Indonesia assessed the technical and financial feasibility of a nature based design concept (Taneja et al., 2020).

International examples include the Port Authority of Huelva, Spain, whose project on recovery of habitats through beneficial use of dredged materials and bio-tools won the PIANC Working with Nature Award First Prize in 2024 (PIANC, 2024). Port of Antwerp-Bruges operates a species protection program to conserve habitats for the 90 protected animal and plant species living in the port (Port of Antwerp-Bruges, n.d.). The World Economic Forum Nature Positive: Role of the Port Sector report identifies nature positive strategies for ports (World Economic Forum, 2025).