Project background
The decline of West African mangroves, a substantial carbon sink
West Africa’s mangroves provide local communities with a range of ecosystem services. In addition, they can store up to 10 times more carbon in the soil than forests can, making them one of the world’s most valuable carbon sinks. Mangrove conservation is therefore a priority. Unfortunately, they are disappearing due to a number of factors in the region, including agriculture.
For instance, local communities in Cacheu, Guinea-Bissau, where BlueSeeds made several trips, are at risk. Rice farming on mangroves has allowed them to survive for a long time, but many of the once-cultivated plots are now deserted and partially dried out, which hinders the natural regeneration of mangroves. Now, back mangroves and terrestrial forests are currently being destroyed as a result of these communities’ shift to cashew nut production.
There is currently insufficient funding available for the conservation and restoration of mangrove forests. Carbon credit production is a good fit for mangroves. However, because of its complexity and the lack of expertise in the relevant countries to sell certified credits on the market, this financial mechanism is still underutilised. Another way to reduce poverty would be for communities to profit more from these revenues in order to pay for conservation expenses.
