Beach Collective: Community-Led Mangrove Restoration

• Since 2023, HCF has partnered with Beach Collective to support an innovative approach to coastal conservation in Cebu, Philippines. The project began as BeachToken, using the $BEACH currency to incentivize mangrove restoration and marine debris removal. While $BEACH is no longer active, it was an important part of the project's original model.
• During its first phase, between 2023 and 2024, the project piloted the blue circular economy model, removed one ton of marine debris, and supported participation from local businesses and workers.
• HCF's first Catalytic Grant enabled early restoration efforts by supporting the planting of 2,000 mangrove seedlings, the creation of a local job, and engagement of four local businesses that adopted the $BEACH currency.
• Building on the first phase, HCF continued its support through a 2025-2026 Catalytic Grant in partnership with the Mary Gard Jameson Foundation, whose matching support and a later addendum expanded mangrove planting, coastal cleanup, nursery operations, and paid community work.
• After three years of partnership, Beach Collective completed its initial mangrove restoration program in Cebu. Together, the project planted 13,500 mangrove seedlings, restored approximately 4,000 square meters of coastal habitat, removed 3.5 tons of waste, and created 359 paid community workdays.
• Severe typhoons in November 2025 damaged several restoration areas, including a substantial portion of earlier plantings. Before the storms, monitoring showed an estimated 88% average seedling survival rate. The 10,000 seedlings planted in early 2026 remain in good health, and the project's mangrove nursery provides a foundation for future recovery and replanting.

Environmental degradation in the Philippines has resulted in severe loss of mangrove habitats and a growing burden of marine debris. These ecosystems protect shorelines, support fisheries, and sustain local livelihoods, but restoration efforts are often underfunded or difficult for local communities to sustain. Creating ways to incentivize meaningful participation in ecosystem restoration is critical for long-term impact.

The project has also experienced the realities of long-term coastal restoration. Severe typhoons in November 2025 caused storm surges, flooding, strong wave action, and debris accumulation that damaged several restoration sites. In addition, the project's original pathway to bring restored mangroves to market through Native Squared did not advance during the grant period because the platform entered hibernation and carbon-rights questions with local government remained unresolved.

At the start of HCF's partnership, BeachToken used a blue circular economy model that rewarded local residents for mangrove restoration and marine debris removal with the $BEACH currency, which participating businesses could accept for goods and services. Although $BEACH is no longer active, the model helped demonstrate how conservation incentives could support both community participation and coastal restoration. Beach Collective's work has continued to combine ecological restoration with local economic opportunity, placing community members at the center of planting, cleanup, nursery, monitoring, and recovery efforts.

1. Mangrove Restoration: The 2023-2024 grant helped plant 2,000 mangrove seedlings and supported a local team responsible for maintaining and protecting restored areas. The 2025-2026 Catalytic Grant, supported in partnership with the Mary Gard Jameson Foundation and expanded through an addendum, broadened the work and helped bring the partnership's total to 13,500 seedlings while maintaining a mangrove nursery for future restoration.

2. Economic Support: The initial project created a full-time local job and supported four small businesses adopting the $BEACH currency. During the latest grant period, the project generated 359 paid labor days for 24 local community members through mangrove planting, cleanups, nursery work, and maintenance activities.

3. Waste Removal: The first phase removed one ton of marine debris. During the latest grant period, six community-led coastal and mangrove cleanup activities removed 3,493 kilograms, or nearly 3.5 tons, of waste.

4. Monitoring and Recovery: Beach Collective uses planting records, regular site visits, photographic documentation, nursery tracking, and visual assessments to monitor seedling growth and site conditions. Following the 2025 typhoons, the team assessed surviving areas, maintained nursery operations, and identified priority locations for recovery and future replanting.