Abstract:
As a tropical island nation, Sri Lanka has a 1740 km coastal strip,
dominated by mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows i.e.,
blue carbon ecosystems, that play a vital role in ecosystem functioning
and services. These ecosystems have a high capacity for storing
carbon within their ecosystem pools by capturing atmospheric carbon
dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis and gained huge attention as the
most carbon rich soil containing ecosystems in the world. The current
study focuses on the gaps pertaining to blue carbon ecosystems
including, total carbon stocks, challenges, and conservation prospects
in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, a complete scientific survey to determine
carbon stocks in all blue carbon ecosystems has not been carried out
and only a limited number of studies have quantified the carbon
sequestration in different mangrove areas in Sri Lanka. Studies on salt
marshes and seagrass meadows were only directed towards
distribution, species diversity or occurrence and also limited to fewer
sites in the country. Thus, precise estimation of the total carbon stocks
of the blue carbon ecosystems would be difficult without conducting
proper scientific studies in salt marshes, seagrass meadows and
mangrove areas. Moreover, the current study suggests seeking
knowledge through estimating ecosystem values towards sustainable
coastal management that could pave the pathway to conserve blue
carbon ecosystems as a part of climate change mitigation.
