ORIGINAL PAPER The excavation and cultivation in containers of mature grey mangroves, Avicennia marina John Abbot • Jennifer Marohasy Received: 10 October 2013 / Accepted: 23 May 2014 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 Abstract The grey mangrove, Avicennia marina, grows in intertidal habitat that is under pressure from expanding human settlement and industry along coastlines in the tropics and subtropics. Inappropriate clearing, and also the dieback of large stands of A. marina associated with pollution, have created an interest in methods for revegetation and also the need for a better understanding of the species physiological tolerances including to herbicide residue. Eco-toxico- logical studies have so far been exclusively on seedlings because of perceived difficulties cultivating mature plants in controlled environments. Reforesta- tion projects are often associated with low rates of establishment, because of the susceptibility of prop- agules, seedlings and saplings to wind and wave erosion, as well as flooding and desiccation associated with the natural inter-tidal environment. We report on the successful excavation, and cultivation in contain- ers with an automated irrigation system of eight mature A. marina plants. It is possible to transplant mature mangroves and achieve significant vegetative growth and also flowering and fruiting within the first year. It is difficult to compare the likely costs of transplanting a more limited number of mature plants to many propagules. However, we suggest that in situations where reforestation with young propa- gules, seedlings or saplings has failed because of excessive wash, drowning or smothering, the trans- planting of mature mangroves could be a better option. Keywords Grey mangrove Á Avicennia marina Á Transplant Á Reforestation Introduction It is estimated that mangrove forests once occupied 75 % of the tropical coastlines worldwide, but that this area has been reduced by about half in the 50 years prior to 1990 (Ong 1994), or down to 35 % during the last two decades of the twentieth century (Valiela et al. 2001). For example, in Singapore, only 1 % of the coastline has mangroves (Hsiang 2000). In the Phil- ippines and Malaysia, large areas of mangrove, including areas of Avicennia marina, were clear-felled for aquaculture developments, with significant areas since abandoned (Kamali and Hashim 2011). Large-scale mangrove rehabilitation projects can vary significantly in cost, from less than US$100 per hectare (Primavera and Esteban 2008) to more than US$200,000 (Lewis 2001). Projects sometimes have significant administration, supervision and project management costs that can consume up to half the total budget (Primavera and Esterban 2008). There may also be significant costs associated with J. Abbot Á J. Marohasy (&) School of Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, QLD 4702, Australia e-mail: jennifermarohasy@gmail.com 123 Wetlands Ecol Manage DOI 10.1007/s11273-014-9357-3