Mangrove forests provide important blue carbon benefits
Despite covering just about 200,000 hectares or 1.5% of the national forest area, mangrove forests are highly valued for their socio-economic and biodiversity conservation benefits. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recognised them as a significant carbon sink, contributing substantially to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Supported by the Climate Promise project in the Asia-Pacific, the UNDP has partnered with the MARD’s Department of Forestry to develop methods for measuring and calculating carbon stored in these forests. Results indicate that they hold about 245 tonnes of carbon per hectare, with 71% of this carbon stored in the soil beneath the mangroves (up to 30 cm deep) and only 29% in the biomass of living plants (both above-ground and root systems).
Mangrove regeneration is a vital strategy to achieve both greenhouse gas reduction and climate change adaptation goals, aligned with Vietnam’s international commitments on climate change.
