Experiments were performed in situ using (2 3 ) a factorial design to evaluate a technique that recovers soils affected by oil spills in coastal areas where a 100% of the forest did not survive and natural re-colonization had not been successful. The treatments were based on the natural and stimulated biodegradation of oil, including the effect of water saturation in it, where seedlings of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle L.) were used as indicators of success. Results showed that stimulated biodegradation in a saturated environment can remove up to 78.5% of the spilt oil in the first two months, recovering soil quality of the degraded soil and obtaining a greater percentage of plantules survival (80%). It was concluded that stimulated biodegradation and the promotion of saturated environments are the most successful treatments.