Kuching Mangrove Forest, Malaysia
Location: Kuching Wetlands National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia
Impact: Environment & climate change
Focus: “Blue carbon” dissolved carbon sequestration
AquaWatch pilot summary
This pilot project aims to demonstrate success of the AquaWatch system concept for water quality monitoring of dissolved carbon in the mangrove forests of the Sarawak region of Malaysia.
Mangrove forests in the area are an important resource for local people who use the ecosystem for hunting, firewood and sanitation. However, disturbing the silt around mangrove roots can impact their natural role in sequestering dissolved carbon. This can have not only an environmental impact, but an economic one.
“Blue carbon” and mangrove forests
Blue carbon is the organic carbon sequestered in vegetated coastal ecosystems, especially mangroves, seagrass and tidal marshes. These plants fix carbon through photosynthesis which is then stored in their biomass and the soil in which they grow.
On average, they sequester more carbon per unit area than in terrestrial forests and so are a potentially valuable tool in climate change mitigation through ‘Nature-based Solutions’.
Along with their high carbon sequestration rates, they also provide protection from damaging storm waves and surges, and supply food and habitat for numerous species including many that are the basis of recreational and commercial fisheries. These ecosystems underpin livelihoods in coastal areas of many countries.
The greatest extent of mangroves and seagrasses occurs across the Indo-Pacific region, notably in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Australia.
Coastal blue carbon ecosystems are declining worldwide due to unsustainable coastal development. These losses not only prevents their ability to sequester carbon but can cause release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Mangrove roots and the surrounding silt are part of a natural carbon capture process. Credit: Alex Thomas
Technology
- HydraSpectra insitu sensing
- Use of satellite imagery for remote sensing
- Advanced analytics (EASI)
- Water quality modelling
- AI for water quality forecasting
Implications for water management
Developing an understanding of the dissolved carbon loss from disturbance to mangrove forests can help environment managers to make decisions about how the forest is protected and used sustainably by the communities that rely on it.
This includes mitigating activities to maintain the carbon sequestration of these forests as a supporting nature-based solution for climate change mitigation.