Technological opportunities for measuring and monitoring blue carbon initiatives in mangrove ecosystems

Abstract

Mangrove forests play a crucial role in the carbon cycle and mitigate climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, mangrove ecosystems have declined dramatically in most regions due to natural and human factors, resulting in the release of substantial amounts of carbon dioxide. ‘Blue carbon’ conservation and restoration initiatives seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support adaptation in mangrove areas. Various methods are employed to estimate, map, and monitor the extent and dynamics of mangrove biomass and carbon stocks, and these play a critical role in sustainable management and the climate policy and market instruments which can provide financial support for ecosystem conservation and restoration. This paper presents a comprehensive review of different mapping and monitoring methods applied from 2010 to 2020 for carbon stocks in mangrove forests, and highlights the limitations of previous studies. Destructive sampling, use of allometric equations, and remote sensing technologies are described and assessed. Passive and active sensors at various spatial resolutions (1 m–30 m), and supervised and unsupervised classification methods, are discussed. A novel aspect of this paper is the assessment of monitoring methods and the uncertainty of carbon stock estimation in mangrove forests. The study discusses the advantages and drawbacks of existing methods for mangrove carbon stock measurement and provides recommendations for effective application of blue carbon studies in global markets.