Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020
Abstract Mangroves are one of Earth's “blue lungs” due to their exceptional carbon‐storage capabilities amidst rapidly increasing carbon dioxide. Despite providing numerous ecological services, their global distribution and carbon‐storage capacities have severely declined over the past 35 years...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115303 |
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| author | Chengyuan Ju Dongjie Fu Vincent Lyne Han Xiao Fenzhen Su Hao Yu |
| author_facet | Chengyuan Ju Dongjie Fu Vincent Lyne Han Xiao Fenzhen Su Hao Yu |
| author_sort | Chengyuan Ju |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Mangroves are one of Earth's “blue lungs” due to their exceptional carbon‐storage capabilities amidst rapidly increasing carbon dioxide. Despite providing numerous ecological services, their global distribution and carbon‐storage capacities have severely declined over the past 35 years (1985–2020). Here, we quantify spatio‐temporal changes in global and national carbon‐stocks that include this period. We found that global mangrove area decreased from 17.35 million‐hectares in 1985 (carbon‐storage of 6.84 Pg) to 13.61 million‐hectares in 2020 (carbon‐storage of 5.72 Pg). Significant losses occurred in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, with a global reduction of 21.6% in area and 16.5% in carbon‐stocks. Potential maximum loss of accumulated carbon‐storage in mangroves was equivalent to 4.13 Pg of CO2, accounting for 0.4% of the global cumulative fossil CO2 emissions (1,009 Pg) during 1985–2020. This study provides more comprehensive and accurate statistics, maps, and insights on estimating and reducing mangrove carbon emissions to support global and national protection policies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-76c42d89a4e04f9ca4550e3bfa46856e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-76c42d89a4e04f9ca4550e3bfa46856e2025-08-20T03:59:22ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-04-01528n/an/a10.1029/2025GL115303Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020Chengyuan Ju0Dongjie Fu1Vincent Lyne2Han Xiao3Fenzhen Su4Hao Yu5School of Geography and Ocean Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaInstitute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Hobart TAS AustraliaAgricultural Engineering Information Research Institute Academy of Agricultural Planning and Engineering Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Beijing ChinaSchool of Geography and Ocean Sciences Nanjing University Nanjing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaAbstract Mangroves are one of Earth's “blue lungs” due to their exceptional carbon‐storage capabilities amidst rapidly increasing carbon dioxide. Despite providing numerous ecological services, their global distribution and carbon‐storage capacities have severely declined over the past 35 years (1985–2020). Here, we quantify spatio‐temporal changes in global and national carbon‐stocks that include this period. We found that global mangrove area decreased from 17.35 million‐hectares in 1985 (carbon‐storage of 6.84 Pg) to 13.61 million‐hectares in 2020 (carbon‐storage of 5.72 Pg). Significant losses occurred in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, with a global reduction of 21.6% in area and 16.5% in carbon‐stocks. Potential maximum loss of accumulated carbon‐storage in mangroves was equivalent to 4.13 Pg of CO2, accounting for 0.4% of the global cumulative fossil CO2 emissions (1,009 Pg) during 1985–2020. This study provides more comprehensive and accurate statistics, maps, and insights on estimating and reducing mangrove carbon emissions to support global and national protection policies.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115303mangrovespatiotemporal changecarbon‐stock changes |
| spellingShingle | Chengyuan Ju Dongjie Fu Vincent Lyne Han Xiao Fenzhen Su Hao Yu Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020 Geophysical Research Letters mangrove spatiotemporal change carbon‐stock changes |
| title | Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020 |
| title_full | Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020 |
| title_fullStr | Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020 |
| title_short | Global Declines in Mangrove Area and Carbon‐Stock From 1985 to 2020 |
| title_sort | global declines in mangrove area and carbon stock from 1985 to 2020 |
| topic | mangrove spatiotemporal change carbon‐stock changes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115303 |
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