Assessing the CO2 capture potential of seagrass restoration projects. Issue 6 (10th September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Duarte, Carlos M.; Sintes, Tomás; Marbà, Núria; Wan, Shiqiang
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied ecology. Volume 50:Issue 6(2013:Dec.)
• Page Start: 1341
• Page End: 1349
• Publication Date: 2013-09-10
• Subjects: Agriculture -- Periodicals; Biology, Economic -- Periodicals; Agricultural ecology -- Periodicals; Applied ecology -- Periodicals; 577
• DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12155
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-8901

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jpe12155-abs-0001"> <title>Summary</title> <p> <list id="jpe12155-list-0001" list-type="order"> <list-item> <p>Seagrass meadows are important carbon sinks, and they are experiencing a global decline. Restoration of seagrass meadows provides a strategy to mitigate climate change while conserving these important ecosystems.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>We examined the long‐term carbon sequestration expected for seagrass restoration programmes by developing a model that combined models of patch growth, patch survival in seagrass planting projects and estimates of seagrass CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration per unit area for the five seagrass species commonly used in restoration programmes.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>The model results indicated that the cumulative C sequestered increased rapidly over time and with planting density to reach an asymptote at a planting density of 100 units ha<sup>−1</sup> (or 6 m spacing between units). At this planting density, the modelled cumulative C sequestered ranges from 177 to over 1337 tons CO<sub>2</sub> ha<sup>−1</sup> after 50 years.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p>The value corresponding to this carbon sequestration suggests that the costs of seagrass restoration programmes may be fully recovered by the total CO<sub>2</sub> captured in societies with a carbon tax in place, providing additional ecosystem services derived from the role of seagrasses in providing ecosystem services, such as enhanced biodiversity.</p> </list-item> <list-item> <p> <italic>Synthesis and applications</italic>. Seagrass restoration programmes are economically viable strategies to mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, particularly in subtropical and tropical island states where land‐based options have a limited scope.</p> </list-item> </list> </p> </abstract>