ABSTRACT

CATHERINE E. LOVELOCK, ROGER W. RUESS, AND ILKA C. FELLER

9.1 INTRODUCTION

Mangroves are being cleared at a rapid rate, exceeding that of tropical forests [1], [2]. Clearing of above-ground biomass in mangrove forests results in changes in ecosystem processes [3] and losses of ecosystem services, including fisheries and storm protection [4], [5]. Additionally, clearing of forests reduces carbon sequestration and may lead to CO2 emissions due to loss of aboveground carbon stocks and increased rates of soil decomposition [6]. In terrestrial ecosystems land-use change is one of the major sources of CO2 emissions above the burning of fossil fuels [7]. In the tropics clearing of rainforests has led to high levels of CO2 emissions [8] which have made these forests particularly valuable for conservation schemes developed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and to enhance carbon storage (REDD and REDD+) [9], [10], [11]. Similar schemes are proposed for carbon rich marine ecosystems, including mangroves, but there are many uncertainties around factors influencing carbon sequestration and carbon stocks in these coastal systems [12], [13].