Blue Carbon Stocks; Distribution, Threats, and Conservation in Sri Lanka; Insight Towards Climate Change Mitigation

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.