Mangroves & Markets features in Marine Policy Journal

The SNV project Mangroves and Markets which targets the sustainable integration of shrimp aquaculture within mangrove eco-systems in Southern Vietnam has been included in Marine Policy Journal as part of the publication: Keys to successful blue carbon projects: Lessons learned from global case studies.

Several recent studies have focused on the importance that coastal ecosystems such as salt marshes, seagrasses, and mangroves have in mitigating climate change by acting as carbon sinks. Studies have shown that these coastal ecosystems are ten times more effective at sequestering carbon dioxide on a per area basis per year than boreal, temperate, or tropical forests and about twice as effective at storing carbon in their soil and biomass. The “blue carbon” service is only one of the important benefits these ecosystems provide along with shoreline protection, water quality improvements, building materials, and seafood.

Unfortunately, coastal blue carbon ecosystems have been lost at an alarming rate-an estimated one third of the global total lost over the past several decades. This degradation is primarily caused by direct and indirect anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, increasing coastal population size and coastal development, agriculture and aquaculture.

You read more on a series of successful blue carbon case studies, including SNV's here