Carbon storage potential of natural and planted mangals in Trang, Thailand

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the carbon storage potential for 25 year-old (planted) and >50 year-old (natural) mangrove stands and mangrove sediment, in three districts of Trang province, Thailand. The results show a lower carbon content in the aboveground biomass of 10-25-year-old (planted) stands than in the >50-year old (natural) stands. However, we found more organic carbon in sediments in planted sites than in natural sites, which could be partly due to the higher tree densities in the former. The derived organic carbon in particulate matter was lower in the planted forest than in the natural forest, which could be due to allochthonous inputs of organic matter from rivers and creeks, and to a higher number of species in the natural forests. This study demonstrated that the amount of carbon stored in mangroves increases with age, but the amount of carbon stored in mangrove soils could vary with mangrove density, sediment size, allochthonous inputs, and inundation. This study suggested that planted and natural mangrove forests can capture and store a substantial amount of carbon. Such information could motivate policymakers and local communities to conserve the last remaining mangrove forests, rehabilitate degraded ones, and replant abandoned fish and shrimp ponds.