Biodiversity & blue carbon
Mangrove
Salt-tolerant trees and shrubs of tropical and subtropical coastlines whose forests store exceptional "blue carbon", protect shores and support fisheries — yet roughly half have been lost since pre-industrial times.
Definition
Mangroves are halophytic (salt-tolerant) trees and shrubs forming intertidal forests along tropical and subtropical coasts, covering roughly 14–15 million hectares globally. They sequester carbon at rates two to four times higher per hectare than many terrestrial forests, store it in waterlogged soils for millennia, buffer storm surges and serve as nurseries for fisheries; around 50% of pre-industrial mangrove area has been lost.
References
blue carbon definition, carbon density vs terrestrial forests, ~50% loss, emissions share
Overview
What it means
Mangroves are flagship "blue carbon" ecosystems: their destruction releases large carbon stocks (mangrove loss has accounted for up to ~10–19% of deforestation-related emissions), while restoration delivers mitigation, adaptation and livelihood co-benefits.
How it is used
Mangrove protection and restoration feature in NDCs, blue carbon credit projects, coastal defence strategies and community forestry programmes.
Why it matters
Few ecosystems pack so much climate mitigation, disaster protection and food security value into so little area; continued loss undermines all three.
Review
Public comments appear only after editor acceptance. Draft comments stay in the review queue.
Reviewers choose the definition or an overview paragraph, leave a comment or replacement, and attach evidence or a source link.
Editors compare reviewer cards side by side. AI may help find agreement, conflicts, unsupported claims and possible source issues.
Only an editor-accepted synthesis changes the public page. Reviewer identities are shown only with consent and an editorial decision to attribute them.
Submitted reviews stay private until an editor decides whether to accept and attribute them.
Contribute to this entry
Help improve this definition
Your contribution is private while it is checked. Nothing changes on this page unless an editor accepts it.
Loading verified endorsements… Endorsements are not votes and never determine publication.
Endorse this definition
Endorse the exact version shown here. This is not a vote, and publication remains an editorial decision.
Review board
Comment on a specific line. Each reviewer stays separate until an editor accepts a merged draft.
Each person comments on the definition or overview in their own draft card, with role, evidence and suggested wording kept together.
AI can compare comments against the current text, flag conflicting claims, surface missing evidence and identify where reviewers agree.
An editor merges compatible suggestions into a draft change, checks sources, records disagreements and decides what can be published.