The World
Mangrove Center

While mangrove areas have often been regarded as useless, they are among the most ecologically and socially valuable ecosystems on the planet.

Locally, mangroves offer a unique flow of ecosystem goods and services that sustain human well-being. They harbour nurseries for fish that have commercial value and that are key to preventing malnutrition in local diets.

Nationally, mangroves are crucial for protecting against flooding and storm surges.

Globally mangroves help mitigate climate change while providing important habitants for biodiversity.

‘Blue carbon’ refers to the carbon captured and stored in oceans and coastal ecosystems. It can be found in several places, including tidal wetlands, mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows.

Blue carbon ecosystems are effective carbon sinks and can play a major role in meeting national and global targets on climate change. But when drained, they release their enormous carbon stores into the atmosphere.

This blue carbon can hold great value if incorporated into climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Conserving existing coastal mangroves and meadow seagrass is essential to global climate change adaptation strategies. Restoring mangroves can bring back lost ecosystem structure and functions – as well as tangible rewards for local communities through better fish catches and protection against storm surges and sea level rise.

Payment for ecosystem services – offering farmers and other landholders incentives to use land in sustainable ways – is a promising tool for restoration and management of mangroves, at both small and large scales.,Avoiding mangrove deforestation and degradation can lead to lower emissions. In Indonesia, mangroves can absorb almost 30% of national emissions from the land use sector. Indonesia also considers blue carbon from mangroves to be essential for addressing its national and global goals, such as its Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI) and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).

Avoiding mangrove deforestation and degradation can lead to lower emissions. In Indonesia, mangroves can absorb almost 30% of national emissions from the land use sector. Indonesia also considers blue carbon from mangroves to be essential for addressing its national and global goals, such as its Low Carbon Development Initiative (LCDI) and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).