A new study has found that conserving and restoring peatlands and mangroves in Southeast Asia could reduce more than 50% of the region’s land-use carbon emissions. This region, home to the Sundarbans, has vast areas of carbon-storing peatlands and mangroves that slow down organic matter decomposition. Despite taking up only 5% of the region’s land, these ecosystems play a crucial role in emission reduction and climate goals. The study highlights the importance of including these ecosystems in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the Paris Agreement to increase emission reduction targets. The researchers estimate that conserving and restoring peatlands and mangroves could mitigate approximately 770 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, equivalent to nearly double Malaysia’s national greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. The study also provides updated estimates of emissions from disturbed peatlands and mangroves across Southeast Asia, highlighting hotspots for intervention. The researchers urge ASEAN governments to conserve and restore these ecosystems to mitigate climate change and support sustainable development.
Here’s a rewritten version of the same sentence: Habitat restoration of mangroves in Southeast Asia has the potential to slash carbon emissions by half.
