Very well written article, thanks for posting. The usual problems; planting in the wrong place (lack of science, planning and thoughtful approach), funding must be used by a fixed date, no maintenance/oversight, untrained planters, no local involvement (often deliberate disenfranchisement), lack of pest control ... I see these problems on a daily basis, often ecological understanding is deprecated and finance and engineering promoted, with failure guaranteed.
this is interesting. IIRC mangroves are by contrast a problem in hawaii where they were brought in, but terrible because they are an invasive species and extremely difficult to eradicate.
I heard mixed opinions from different guides when I was in the Everglades. On one hand, they want to protect the trees now that they are there. On the other hand apparently the tip of florida was grass up to the beach and then the mangroves took over the whole coast. I guess trying to protect the ecosystem as is now makes more sense than trying to intervene to make FL look like the 1600s version.