The Reclamation Project explores our ability
to coexist with the natural world.
It reminds us of what our community
looked like before all the concrete was poured.

                            --Xavier Cortada, artist

Origins
Annually, the Reclamation Project plants thousands of mangroves on our bay, rebuilding ecosystems above and below the water line.


Mangrove "Reclamation" and Reforestation
Every year, Reclamation Project volunteers collect mangrove seedlings from nature preserves and distribute them across the community, symbolically "reclaiming" urban areas that once flourished with mangrove forests.

Mangroves are important for they create the interface between land and water where marine life takes hold.  Small fish find refuge from predators in their intricate roots, which also serve to protect the shoreline from erosion during hurricanes.  Biscayne Bay was once lined with mangroves.  Today, there are few places where mangrove seedlings can take root on Biscayne Bay because it has been  barricaded by man-made barriers such as sea walls and development.

The Reclamation Project installation at the Miami Science Museum displays over 1,100 mangrove seedlings in clear, water-filled cups.  They will grow there for a year until they are ready to be reforested.  At that time, another 1,100 seedlings will be nurtured in this re-permanent nursery.

These Red Mangrove seedlings, as well as those displayed in retail locations across South Beach, will be planted by volunteers along Biscayne Bay.

** CLICK HERE to download Coastal Reforestation PDF


Participating Schools:

Several South Florida schools have joined in the coastal reforestation effort.  To bring the Reclamation Project's mangrove installations to your school (Miami-Dade County only), please contact: