Abstract
Of the numerous ecosystem services mangroves provide, carbon storage is gaining particular attention for its potential role in climate change mitigation strategies. Madagascar contains 2% of the world’s mangroves, over 20% of which is estimated to have been deforested through charcoal production, timber extraction and agricultural development. This study presents a carbon stock assessment of the mangroves in Helodrano Fagnemotse in southwest Madagascar alongside an analysis of mangrove land-cover change from 2002 to 2014. Similar to other mangrove ecosystems in East Africa, higher stature, closed-canopy mangroves in southwest Madagascar were estimated to contain 454.92 (±26.58) Mg·C·ha−1. Although the mangrove extent in this area is relatively small (1500 ha), these mangroves are of critical importance to local communities and anthropogenic pressures on coastal resources in the area are increasing. This was evident in both field observations and remote sensing analysis, which indicated an overall net loss of 3.18% between 2002 and 2014. Further dynamics analysis highlighted widespread transitions of dense, higher stature mangroves to more sparse mangrove areas indicating extensive degradation. Harnessing the value that the carbon stored within these mangroves holds on the voluntary carbon market could generate revenue to support and incentivise locally-led sustainable mangrove management, improve livelihoods and alleviate anthropogenic pressures.
Highlights
Concerns over increasing atmospheric carbon emissions are driving the need to improve understanding of carbon sequestration within global ecosystems and investigate solutions to mitigate the effects of resulting climate change [1,2,3,4]
Up to six of the eight mangrove species found in Madagascar have been identified previously by trained local community members within Helodrano Fagnemotse, only four species were recorded during this inventory; Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh., Bruguiera gymnorrhiza Lam., Ceriops tagal (Perr) CB.Rob and Rhizophora mucronata Lam
2014the thelargest largestchanges changes in the Landsat‐derived maps were observed in the open‐canopy mangrove class, with an apparent in the Landsat-derived maps were observed in the open-canopy mangrove II class, with an apparent net net loss loss of of 47.9%
Summary
Concerns over increasing atmospheric carbon emissions are driving the need to improve understanding of carbon sequestration within global ecosystems and investigate solutions to mitigate the effects of resulting climate change [1,2,3,4]. Coastal wetlands in particular are gaining increasing recognition as remarkably efficient carbon sinks [5,6]. Sea grasses and tidal salt marshes are highly productive ecosystems, estimated to sequester carbon 10–50 times faster than terrestrial systems [1,7]. These ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems are capable of accumulating vast quantities of organic matter [8] and have been shown to contain markedly greater stores of carbon than terrestrial forest ecosystems [9]. A combination of high productivity, anaerobic conditions and high accumulation rates account for the high carbon storage capacity of mangrove ecosystems in particular [5].
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