In a press release published on the Eureka Alert website, ecologists from the US Forest Service and other researchers have conducted ground-breaking research that shows planted mangroves may store up to 70% of the carbon stock found in intact mangrove stands after just 20 years.
Scientists have long recognized mangroves' remarkable capacity to absorb and store carbon. On the other hand, little information was available regarding how long it takes planted mangroves to reach carbon storage levels comparable to those of intact mangroves.
According to Rich MacKenzie of the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, "About ten years ago, Sahadev Sharma, then with the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, and I discovered that 20-year-old mangrove plantations in Cambodia had carbon stocks comparable to those of intact forests."
Under the direction of Carine Bourgeois of the Forest Service's International Programs office, MacKenzie and Sharma worked with a multinational group of mangrove researchers. After twenty years, the scientists discovered that planted mangroves had achieved 71–73 percent of the carbon store of intact stands, using logistic models constructed from forty years of data and roughly 700 planted mangrove stands worldwide.
Global efforts to restore mangroves may be greatly impacted by these findings. Due to historical circumstances, changes in land use brought about by humans, extreme weather, and erosion, 35% of the world's mangrove area has disappeared over the previous 50 years.
"As our dataset grows and more data become available, we hope researchers and stakeholders will gain new insight into planning and techniques for restoring mangroves," said Sharma.
Mangroves are being observed as part of the ongoing research to evaluate their development. "Periodic and regular monitoring of mangroves can provide useful data on the survival and success of restoration efforts and help devise adaptive management strategies as needed," said Rupesh Bhomia of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF).
The significance of protecting and rehabilitating mangroves is becoming increasingly apparent on a global scale. These trees act as coastal barriers against storm surges and tsunamis in addition to being powerful carbon storage plants. They also serve as nurseries for a variety of aquatic animals and habitats for a wide range of species.
Mangrove plantings may not always be the greatest option for rehabilitation, MacKenzie warns. Mangrove plantations that are properly designed and managed can restore carbon stores more successfully than degraded stands. But this does not always imply that mangrove plants are the most effective restoration technique," he said.
The planting of mangroves cannot take the place of intact stand conservation, the researchers stressed. According to our simulations, during 20 years, replanting in all highly restorable mangrove regions will absorb less than 1% of yearly global emissions. It is crucial to preserve the current mangrove stands for this reason, according to Bourgeois.
