Background
Mangroves are recognized as one of the prominent nature-based solutions to climate change due to their capacity to store more carbon in comparison to other terrestrial forests. But their narrow range of temperature preference limits their distribution mainly to the tropics. Their extent has reduced by around 40 percent due to the diversion of freshwater resources, expanding aquaculture, deforestation, habitat fragmentation and sea level rise. This loss is further exaggerated in the Asia-Pacific due to a greater demand for resources and higher sea level rise of 3.14 mm/yr than the global average (2.5mm/yr).
In India, mangroves are known to help with flood mitigation, reduction of the effects of cyclones and providing many resources to local communities. Nationally, mangroves can be instrumental in meeting India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and could be an important part of the country’s ‘blue economy’ ambitions.
Understanding the delicate and dynamic relationship of mangroves to coastal sustainability could play a very important role in advancing our knowledge base about these complex ecosystems. Very often, local (site specific) information on changes experienced by these natural ecosystems by both natural and anthropogenic stressors is missing, and as climate change impacts push boundaries with greater extremes such measurements could provide baseline information on the mangrove conditions, including the health of ecosystems, and how vulnerable these areas may be to future sea level changes. Therefore, CIFOR-ICRAF along with its collaborators is setting up long term monitoring plots to study the sedimentation rate, salinity and tidal changes and estimate the above ground and below ground biomass at select sites across India.
- East Coast (60%)
- West Coast (27%)
- Andaman Islands (13%)
Aim
The project aims to establish ecological monitoring sites to help understand future climate change vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems across India.
Long term ecological monitoring
By establishing long-term monitoring plots to determine surface elevation changes in select mangrove regions along the Indian coast, this program provides information needed for management decision making, identifying restoration priorities, and planning interventions for mangrove conservation. This information can help India enhance its climate ambition, report reductions in its forest carbon emissions, and more accurately account for carbon sequestration in its Nationally Determined Contributions.
Overall, 80 rod surface elevation tables (rSETs) and 30 data loggers are estimated to be deployed in the first phase of this ongoing project, distributed in six mangrove sites across the country. Currently, the project is aimed to carry out scientific data collection for the next 1-2 years.
The goals of the project will be achieved by engaging in the following activities:
- Assess total mangrove carbon stocks (forest inventory) using CIFOR protocols for the measurement, monitoring and reporting of structure, biomass, and carbon stocks in mangrove forests.
- Determine soil erosion and accretion rates using rSETs at select locations and data collection at regular intervals.
- Measure inundation frequency and salinity at select locations using automated data loggers.
- Analyse soil samples collected from these sites for total carbon content.
- Provide training opportunities for mangrove monitoring and best practices in mangrove management and restoration aimed at forest department staff, researchers in local institutions, and other stakeholders.
