Scientists in the Asia and Pacific region, with support from the IAEA, have successfully identified sources of carbon stocked in mangrove soils — an important step toward improving the management and restoration of wetlands.
Wetlands provide fundamental ecosystem services by acting as an efficient sink for atmospheric carbon, thus helping in the fight against climate change. Through photosynthesis, mangroves capture large amounts of atmospheric carbon and process it down through their roots, ultimately sequestering it in the soil of the wetlands. This organic carbon that is stored in marine ecosystems soils for periods of time, ranging from centuries to millennia, is known as ‘blue carbon’.
Wetlands are, however, vulnerable to anthropogenic and environmental changes, and their management and conservation is hindered by limited scientific information on ecosystem services. This is of particular concern in the Asia- Pacific region — the site of many of the largest wetlands in the world, including the Wasur National Park in Indonesia.
