Global carbon stocks and potential emissions due to mangrove deforestation from 2000 to 2012

Abstract

Mangrove forests store high densities of organic carbon compared to other forested ecosystems. High carbon storage coupled with high rates of deforestation means that mangroves contribute substantially to carbon emissions. Thus, mangroves are candidates for inclusion in Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UNFCC Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) program. This study quantifies two datasets required for INDCs and PES reporting. These are annual mangrove carbon stocks from 2000 to 2012 at the global, national, and sub-national levels and global carbon emissions resulting from deforestation. Mangroves stored 4.19 Pg of carbon in 2012, with Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea accounting for greater than 50% of this stock. 2.96 Pg of the global carbon stock is contained within the soil and 1.23 Pg in the living biomass. Two percent of global mangrove carbon was lost between 2000 and 2012, equivalent to a maximum potential of 316,996,250 t of CO2 emissions.