AN AGGRESSIVE mangrove restoration effort in Asia holds the potential to drive the achievement of a substantial portion of global targets, researchers said.
Researchers Mark Beeston, a coastal ecologist, and Elizabeth Francis, a marine conservationist, said Asia hosts 40% of the world’s mangroves, with 58,236 square kilometers in 18 countries.
They said conservation action in Asia can help achieve 47% of the global Mangrove Breakthrough restoration target.
They said the key in Asia is to halt the anthropogenic (human-caused) loss of mangroves, restoring at least half of the mangrove area lost, and doubling protection for still living forests.
Mangroves are considered a cost-effective means of mitigating climate change while ensuring food security, protecting communities from extreme weather, supporting livelihoods, building biodiversity, and facilitating coastal resilience. Such forests also serve as carbon sinks that are four times more effective than tropical rainforests. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay