Nature-based solution for sustainability

The upcoming International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on July 26 reminds us of the purposes of its designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2015: to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems and promote best practices for their conservation, restoration, and sustainable use.

As one of the most productive ecosystems, mangroves are widely valued for their biodiversity, and for their contribution to climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as community development. Meanwhile, conservation efforts on mangroves continue to progress around the globe. According to The State of the World's Mangroves 2022, the global loss of mangroves has largely stabilized, and gains have occurred in and around many of the world's large rivers, estuaries and deltas.

Conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of mangroves can serve as nature-based solutions to address multiple social challenges, especially to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Mangrove ecosystems are highly effective carbon sinks. One hectare of mangroves can store 3,754 tons of carbon. However, if destroyed, degraded or lost, mangroves become sources of carbon dioxide. It is estimated that a total of 8,183 square kilometers of mangroves globally are restorable, securing future storage of an estimated 1.27 gigatons of CO2 equivalent. Mangroves also act as a natural coastal defense against storm surges, tsunamis, rising sea levels and erosion, preventing more than $65 billion in property damages and reducing flood risk to around 15 million people every year.

In recent years, spectacular and prolific mangrove ecosystems are highly recognized on the world stage. In November 2022, the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 14) adopted the Wuhan Declaration, explicitly encouraging priority conservation and management of vulnerable ecosystems, including mangroves. The meeting also adopted a resolution on the establishment of the International Mangrove Center.

In addition, mangroves are included in the "30X30" target under the Convention of Biological Diversity, and are increasingly mentioned in the Nationally Determined Contributions submitted by parties to the Paris Agreement.

While actively promoting mangrove conservation on the world stage, China is also steadily advancing mangrove conservation domestically. As of November 2022, more than 55 percent of mangroves in China fell within protected areas, making it one of the few countries with a net gain of mangroves. There are five Ramsar sites in China that focus on mangrove conservation. In terms of progress in policymaking and legislation, China has launched an action plan for conservation and restoration of mangroves until 2025, and has integrated mangrove conservation and restoration in relevant laws and regulations, such as the Wetland Conservation Law and the Marine Conservation Law of the People's Republic of China. In addition, China and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding on conservation of wetlands and mangroves in April this year, making mangroves a bridge for international cooperation.

Numerous good practices are being explored and implemented globally to address local environmental and development challenges through conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of mangroves. To address the increasing risk of storm surges due to climate change and the resulting salinization of farmland, the government of Bangladesh, with support from the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Program, followed the "Forest, Fish, Fruit" model, reforesting the coastline with various species of mangroves in four coastal districts, interspersed with timber and fruit trees, while integrating fish nursery ponds between the trees in the area.

Under the project, around 9,650 hectares of new mangrove plantations made up of 10 key mangrove species were established and estimated to be able to absorb 965,000 tons of CO2 annually and reduce the impact of cyclones, flooding, coastal erosion, saline intrusion and sea-level rise. The project also supported innovative land management and livelihood diversification strategies for local stakeholders.

China is actively exploring the conservation, restoration, and wise use of mangroves to balance development and conservation. The Zhanjiang Mangrove Afforestation project, launched in 2015, planted four local mangroves on 380.4 hectares to restore the degraded mangrove ecosystem, and developed the first mangrove carbon trading project in China that complies with the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards in 2019.

The following funding from blue carbon trading will be used for the management of mangrove restoration and community engagement.

Despite the progress made, long-term and consistent policy and financial support, as well as contribution and efforts from all sectors, are still required for mangrove conservation, restoration, and sustainable management. In addition to traditional public and philanthropic fundings, carbon markets, blue bonds, insurance-based investments, and blended financing models are emerging. Innovative conservation practices are also necessary, exploring paths and methods to realize the value of natural assets and providing alternative livelihoods for local communities to ensure sustainability of conservation and restoration projects.

Other effective area-based conservation measures which combine the wisdom of local communities can achieve long-term and positive conservation results and other benefits. Finally, social organizations and other sectors can play an important role in mangrove conservation, restoration, and sustainable management, as well as promoting international exchanges.

Jiang Xueyuan is a program officer at the Greenovation Hub. Xu Jiayi is the program director at the Greenovation Hub. The authors contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.