article · Science Advances
Planted mangroves can store substantial amounts of carbon, though they do not fully match the levels seen in naturally established mature forests. An analysis of data spanning 40 years across 684 planted stands worldwide reveals that biomass carbon stocks peak at 71 to 73 per cent of intact stand levels roughly 20 years after planting. Restoring sites with mixed species, specifically incorporating Rhizophora species, yields higher carbon accumulation in plant biomass than planting single species alone. In the soil, carbon stocks rise by 25 per cent during the initial five years post-planting before stabilising at roughly 75 per cent of the carbon found in intact soils. Consequently, planting mangroves halts continuing soil carbon loss caused by land use change, providing vital quantitative benchmarks to guide coastal restoration planning and carbon accounting.
Mangrove restoration is widely promoted to combat climate change, yet realistic expectations for carbon capture have been uncertain. Demonstrating that planted stands recover roughly three quarters of intact carbon stocks over two decades provides conservation managers and policymakers with verifiable timelines. It also highlights that selecting mixed tree species enhances carbon storage while protecting vulnerable coastal soils from ongoing degradation.
These findings provide empirical baselines for carbon offset verification, restoration planning, and coastal habitat management. Environmental project developers, carbon credit registries, and conservation bodies can directly apply these benchmarks to quantify expected carbon sequestration and design mixed-species planting programmes. Because the insights stem from 40 years of global field data, they represent applied, near-market evidence suitable for immediately guiding the development and financing of blue carbon projects.
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Mangroves' ability to store carbon (C) has long been recognized, but little is known about whether planted mangroves can store C as efficiently as naturally established (i.e., intact) stands and in which time frame. Through Bayesian logistic models compiled from 40 years of data and built from 684 planted mangrove stands worldwide, we found that biomass C stock culminated at 71 to 73% to that of intact stands ~20 years after planting. Furthermore, prioritizing mixed-species planting including <i>Rhizophora</i> spp. would maximize C accumulation within the biomass compared to monospecific planting. Despite a 25% increase in the first 5 years following planting, no notable change was observed in the soil C stocks thereafter, which remains at a constant value of 75% to that of intact soil C stock, suggesting that planting effectively prevents further C losses due to land use change. These results have strong implications for mangrove restoration planning and serve as a baseline for future C buildup assessments.
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DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk5430
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