Enhancement effects of mangrove restoration on blue carbon storage in Qinzhou Bay

IntroductionMangroves are the main carbon sinks in tropical regions and have high capabilities for carbon sequestration. Protection and restoration of mangroves are necessary to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change. While the Qinzhou Bay as the main area of national mangrove restoration plan in the future, studies on its carbon pools, especially assessment of the carbon sink enhancement effect of restored mangroves along forest chronosequence, are lacking.MethodsThis study aimed to quantify the changes in restored mangrove soil carbon stock, vegetation and root carbon stocks along the forest age sequence in Qinzhou Bay through field survey.ResultsThe results revealed that the carbon stocks of vegetation and roots significantly increased with the developing forest age. Only in the soil layer above 30 cm, the soil carbon storage apparently increased with the developing forest age in non-cofferdam area, and then decreased slowly after reaching the peak (at 6 ~ 8 years). Moreover, the soil carbon storage of mangroves was greater in the cofferdam area than in the non-cofferdam area.DiscussionThis implied that the cofferdam restoration efforts may be more effective in enhancing blue carbon storage, during the initial stages of the restoration process. The results of this study suggested that mangrove restoration has substantial potential capacity in carbon storage and nutrient cycling, providing a reference for the protection and restoration efforts concerning mangroves.