The United Nations Environment Programme’s latest report that the economic and social benefits of mangroves - which are estimated to run into the hundreds of billions worldwide - remain largely untapped due to a lack of carbon finance mechanisms, appropriate policy interventions, and rapid mangrove deforestation, should inspire the authorities concerned in Qatar to protect and nurture the mangrove patches in the country.

The Guiding Principles for Delivering Coastal Wetland Carbon Projects finds that the potential economic, social and environmental gains from conserving mangroves – 90% of which are found in developing countries and many of which are under threat – including from mangrove inclusion in Reducing Emissions from Deforestations and forest Degradation (REDD+) strategies and protecting and enhancing mangrove stores of carbon, still remain largely under-exploited.

UNEP estimates the economic cost of the destruction of carbon-rich mangroves, which are being cleared three to five times faster than terrestrial forests, at $42bn in economic damages annually.

The report argues that while policymakers and financial markets are beginning to take action, more needs to be done to develop new methodologies for carbon accounting for mangroves and other coastal wetland ecosystems, to conserve mangroves, and to increase the profile of mangroves in REDD+ and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: “As the latest Emissions Gap Report makes clear, countries are increasingly aware of how much progress they need to make to limit a global temperature rise to 2°C. Developing countries have a major climate change mitigation and adaptation asset in the form of mangroves because they hold several times more carbon than terrestrial forests.”

“What is needed now are the right carbon finance mechanisms, and policy interventions, in order to reap the true economic, climate and social gains from this critical ecosystem, which we cannot afford to lose,” he said.

“Part of the answer lies in ensuring, both nationally and internationally, that mangroves have a place in REDD+ strategies and other low carbon development strategies such as National Appropriate Mitigation Actions,” he concluded. 

The report makes clear that the management of coastal wetlands is a no-regrets approach, with many additional ecosystem service benefits such as fisheries production and shoreline protection, which promote adaptation in coastal communities.

A number of coastal wetlands carbon project initiatives – which include mangroves – in their infancy in many parts of the world, including Kenya, Senegal, West Bengal, and Sumatra are already showing indications of success.

The Gazi Bay community-led carbon finance project in Kenya for the conservation, management and restoration of 117 hectares of mangroves has so far sold certificates of 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂), with funds being allocated to community projects and additional mangrove activities overseen by village leaders.

Unfortunately between 2000 and 2010 it is estimated that over 100mn tonnes of CO₂ was released into the atmosphere with the clearing and degrading of 771.07sq km of mangroves in Central Africa, which not only represents a potentially significant economic loss in terms of uncapitalised carbon values, but has many other direct economic and social costs.

Qatar is home to the Avicennia Marina species of mangrove, forming several forests around the country’s shores. The largest and the oldest area of mangroves are those around Al Thakira and Al Khor. There were reports that the mangrove patches at Al Wakrah suffered considerable damages on account of the works of the New Doha Port. The authorities have to take remedial action.