A declaration to establish the WIO Mangrove Network was made on 5th October 2011 in Mombasa, Kenya by a group of regional experts from Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania having recognized the important role that mangroves play by providing many critical ecosystem goods and services to millions of people in the region; appreciated that these ecosystems face a myriad of similar management challenges across the region ranging from over-exploitation, conversion, pollution and more recently climate change related impacts; acknowledged that there is currently no forum which brings together regional mangrove scientists, managers and policy makers