On the occasion of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, we are pleased to share a newly published report on the State of Mangroves in the Western Indian Ocean.
The report focusses on the Western Indian Ocean region and specifically on 4 countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar– together home to 5% of the world's mangroves. It main findings include:
- The WIO region lost 30,156 ha (3.9%) of its mangroves over the past 24 years (1996-2020) mainly due to unsustainable wood extraction, land clearance for agriculture and the impacts of cyclones and flooding.
- The WIO region currently has some 745,518 ha of mangroves remaining, 5% of the world's mangroves.
- An estimated total of ~838 Mt CO2e is currently stored in the region’s mangrove biomass and sediment.
- The total mangrove area in the WIO region is capable of storing up to 16% (6 million metric tonnes CO2) of the region’s total annual fossil fuel CO2 emissions each year.
The potential for mangrove restoration in the WIO Region is high with at least 40,900 ha available for restoration, which could enable:
- Protection from annual coastal flooding for tens of thousands of people
- Saving 15 million metric tonnes C of soil carbon stocks through avoided emissions
- Carbon sequestration in mangrove biomass amounting up to 327,000 metric tonnes C year
Significant investments and government support are needed to upscale mangrove conservation and restoration by using expert guidance along with local support.
With this new report, developed as part of the Save our Mangroves Now! Initiative, in collaboration with the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA) partners, and building on the data of the Global Mangrove Watch Platform initiative, we present the most reliable and up-to-date information currently available on the spatial extent and recent changes in mangrove distribution in the Western Indian Ocean region. It quantifies and maps mangrove blue carbon, drivers of change and restoration potential at the scale of the Western Indian Ocean region.
