Mangrove Cover, Biodiversity, and Carbon Storage of Mangrove Forests in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand shoreline extends up to 2667 km covering 23 provinces. The coastal zone of the area includes the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. The Gulf of Thailand Coast or the East Coast has 1653 km of coastline bordering the Gulf of Thailand from Trat Province in the eastern part of the country to Narathiwat Province in the South. On the Western side, the Andaman Sea Coast is 1014 km long, i.e., from Ranong Province to Satun Province. Mangrove forests are distributed along both coasts of Thailand in 24 provinces (the 23 coastal provinces plus Phatthalung Province). Since the first mangrove survey in 1961, the mangrove cover in Thailand has been reduced due to other land uses; hence, till 2014 only 54% of original mangrove cover is left. Mangrove forests in Thailand have been reported to support high biodiversity. Long-term studies on diversity revealed that there were 81 plant species (34 true mangroves and 47 mangrove associates), 272 bird species, 1570 insect species, 101 benthos, and a number of other economically important species. Based on a recent publication of data from 2007 to 2015, the average aboveground biomass in Thai’s mangrove zone ranges from 4.4 ton/ha to 7.5 ton/ha. Tree density varies from 37 trees/ha to 76 trees/ha.