The potential exposure to accidental damage, pollution or destruction of mangroves represents a significant environmental issue in the region. As part of its plans to expand the Dampier Base, Mermaid volunteered a replanting program to encourage the growth of mangroves in previously denuded areas, immediately adjacent to the expanded Base. As at the date of the report, five hundred (500) juvenile mangroves have been transplanted with 90% success. A further 174 mangrove seedlings have been planted and are showing very good growth rates. Attempts to transplant adult mangrove trees, have proved to be more difficult, but the success with young plants now appears to guarantee a more than satisfactory outcome. Mangroves, a tropical evergreen shrub, which forms dense thickets along coastlines, are a key element of the life cycle of a large number of marine species in the areas in which Mermaid principally operates.  21 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OPERATIONS REVIEW Ar