Climate Adaptation and Mitigation thru Mangrove Conservation in SE Asia

Mangrove forests play a significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Because of their capacity to absorb and capture carbon, coastal ecosystems like mangrove forests, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows are termed blue carbon ecosystems.

A study by researchers at the University of the Philippines explored the many benefits of mangrove forests for the environment and livelihoods of coastal communities.

Researchers found Southeast Asian mangrove forests are shrinking and being replaced by more profitable farming practices, such as aquaculture, rice farming, and oil palm plantations.

The loss of mangrove forests means their most crucial ecosystem service, carbon capture, is also lost. A hectare of mangrove forest can capture a kiloton, or 1000 tons, of carbon.

The study says that in addition to their carbon capture capacity, mangroves offer many other benefits and values, such as enriching coastal waters, producing commercial forest and marine products, stabilising coastlines, and regulating tidal actions.

Preserving mangrove forests is of considerable value. Traditional mangrove management tends to be government-centred, which is ineffective in addressing deforestation and its potential effects on the livelihoods of the communities that depend on it.

The study suggests that including local stakeholders and paying them to manage and preserve mangrove forests is a better and more sustainable option. A scheme they call payment for ecosystem services (PES), where local people are paid to do mangrove restoration and protection. According to the study, Vietnam was the first country to take advantage of this scheme.

For this strategy to succeed, the study identified some governance obstacles that must be addressed first. These include:

• a clarification of tenure rights,
• provision of financial incentives to offset mangrove-degrading livelihoods,
• development of a trading system for blue carbon credits,
• Including local needs, interest in PES programs and other coastal plans, and ecological consideration in plantation development.

Southeast Asia hosts some of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

To address the problem of climate change, the region needs to mitigate GHG emissions and adapt to its effects.

Firm government policy, funding, implementation, and community commitment will ensure that mangrove forests can be preserved and protected and that their capacity to capture carbon, protect coastal areas, and provide other services can be maximised.

To read the entire study, click on the link below:

PHOTO CREDIT: Mangroves in Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines by Voltaire Gumban