Paul’s work on mangroves includes a four-year mangrove rehabilitation project in Southern Thailand for Wetlands International (1996-2000), which gave him in-depth understanding of tidal hydrology and practical experience in mangrove restoration techniques. Back in 1989, he conducted a two-month detailed natural resource inventory of one of the world’s largest mangrove areas in Bintuni Bay, Irian Jaya (Indonesia). 

He also investigated causes of massive mangrove tree mortalities in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania (2002) and at Al Gurm, Abu Dhabi (2010), advised on mangrove management for coastal erosion control in Suriname (2009) and evaluated proposed mangrove pruning measures for improved drainage capacity to alleviate flooding in Hong Kong (2008). 

More recently, he compiled a review on mangrove rehabilitation and its application to oil and gas developments in Western Australia, provided technical advice for pipeline trench backfilling to facilitate mangrove recovery in Darwin Harbour (Northern Territories, Australia), and designed & evaluated a mangrove restoration project along a created tidal creek in Port Hedland (Western Australia). 

In 2019, he supervised the world’s largest-ever mangrove tree relocation program (>300 trees) at Abu Dhabi and advised on an extensive mangrove planting program on dredged material along a causeway at Mubarraz (UAE). He also supervised a community-based mangrove planting effort along a causeway in Tarawa, Kiribati.

During 2019-20, he conducted a detailed biodiversity survey of the Mandai mangroves and mudflats in Singapore, and offered technical support to the environmental impact assessment of its establishment as a Nature Park.

With over 17 scientific articles and multiple technical reports on mangroves, Paul is widely recognised for his expertise in this field.