Mangroves seen as major carbon sink

ILOILO CITY: A mangrove scientist here has underscored the need to protect and preserve mangroves to his study revealed their potentials “to store more carbon than ter

“Mangroves are now highlighted as a major carbon sink in relation to the greenhouse gas emission said Rex Sadaba of the University of Philippines-Visayas who conducted the study from May to

Carbon sinks remove carbon “They sequester carbon dioxide and make that into their leaves, into their stem and keep it into

“When the leaves fall, they accumulate into the soil and overtime it is accumulating, the area becomes remove the mangroves here, we increase the decomposition of the organic matter that increases the release of the carbon dioxide back during a roundtable discussions of Iloilo City public-private partner

The study “Carbon storage of mangroves in Iloilo and Batiano - nova of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office- Iloilo

- ares of mangroves, composed of -

tons of carbon sink while it has a

species of mangroves, has seques- and its potential carbon dioxide

“Above the ground biomass and carbon is high but the carbon stored in the soil is much higher as a result of accumulation over

Citing the potential, Sadaba underscored the need to “keep the

involvement of stakeholders for the continued protection of mangrove areas and information

Also, his study recommended that mangroves be allowed to grow further to “maximize biomass for

- grove species should not be trimmed because they are not would mean releasing the car

According to him, it is always possible to replant destroyed species but their capability to store at the Iloilo River are estimated to

hectare of mangrove, particularly situated in Barangay Inday in this city, was affected by the ongoing

developed in the city in promoting greenhouse gas emission reduction, which is climate change

The campaign is being assisted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Be Leaders ( Building Low Emission Alternatives to Develop Economic Resilience and Sustainability) Project and implemented by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI)