Mangroves
are a type of tropical forest, found at the edge of land and sea and flooded regularly by salty tidal water
What is Blue Carbon?
Blue Carbon is the carbon stored and sequestered by mangrove forests, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows in coastal and marine ecosystems. PNZ supports the Blue Carbon Initiative to promote restoration and sustainable use of these environments, which are essential to climate change adaptation and mitigation. They provide protection from storms and rising sea levels, prevent shoreline erosion and serve as a habitat for the fisheries essential to global food security. But these coastal ecosystems are under threat. According to scientific estimates, climate change has destroyed up to 67% of the world’s mangrove forests, 35% of tidal marshes, and 29% of seagrass meadows. If the trend continues, an additional 30% to 40% of tidal marshes and seagrass meadows – and nearly all mangrove forests – will disappear in the next 100 years. This would turn regions currently vital to carbon sequestration into huge sources of greenhouse gas.
- 83%of the global carbon cycle circulates through the oceans
- 50%of ocean carbon sequestration occurs in coastal habitats
- 2%of total ocean area is coastal habitats
- 49 millionhectares are coastal habitats
Tidal marshes
are coastal wetlands with deep soils build through the accumulation of mineral sediment and organic material and then flooded with salty tidal water
Seagrass
is a submerged flowering plant with deep roots found in meadows along the shore