The partnership, which has been signed at this week’s Seafood Expo Global 2025 in Barcelona, aims to support the recovery and protection of one of the world’s most valuable and vulnerable coastal ecosystems.
Under the newly signed memorandum of understanding (MoU), the partners will collaborate on long-term efforts to restore degraded mangrove areas in Ecuador, promote community-based conservation and integrate mangrove protection into sustainable seafood supply chains. The initiative aims to not only contribute to climate resilience and biodiversity but also empower local communities who depend on healthy coastal environments for their livelihoods.
This community-driven project will create local employment through mangrove restoration efforts, engaging residents in seedling cultivation and planting. Backed by expert guidance and strong community support, the initiative aims to restore vital mangrove ecosystems, delivering benefits such as carbon sequestration and habitat regeneration.
ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said: “We’re proud to work with Labeyrie Fine Foods and Omarsa on this shared commitment – to restore mangroves through community action, supporting a healthier future for people, fish, farm and planet. I very much look forward to a long-term partnership to deliver this work and we would welcome other companies to come forward and join us in delivering this meaningful pathway for change.”
The project will be carried out near one of Omarsa's shrimp farms in the Gulf of Guayaquil and combines two key elements of its sustainability strategy: community relations and environmental care.
Omarsa general manager, Sandro Coglitore, said: "Cerrito de los Morreños is a commune of 140 families with approximately 570 inhabitants. For the reforestation project, the community leaders offered us the use of land provided to them by the Ministry of Environment to monitor and protect the area's flora and fauna, including the crabs that grow and reproduce in the mangroves and which they harvest in an artisanal manner for their subsistence. The mangrove trees (Rhizophora mangle) to be used come from the nursery that Omarsa helped the community develop.”
Mangroves play a critical role in stabilising shorelines, supporting biodiversity and capturing carbon. In 2024, the first global mangrove assessment for International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Ecosystems shows over half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse.
Historically, shrimp farming has had a massively damaging impact on mangroves, which are removed to make space for ponds. The ASC Farm Standard prohibits any mangrove removal after 1999 and requires reforestation efforts for any mangroves removed before then. ASC has also been involved in the creation of the best practice guidelines for mangrove restoration, led by Wetlands International, and has incorporated this into its farm standard interpretation manual.
