Overview
Mangrove forests provide important ecosystem services, but their distribution has been affected by climate change and anthropogenic threats (Friess et al., 2019). Southeast Asia has the largest proportion of global mangrove forests and carbon stock but also the largest proportion of mangrove loss and CO2 emissions as a result of mangrove loss (Atwood et al., 2017; Adame et al., 2021), with a large number of mangrove wetlands being converted for use in aquaculture and agriculture, especially in developing countries in Southeast Asia (Thomas et al., 2017).
To increase the awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems and improve our understanding of the historical changes in mangrove forests in this region, a group of scientists from East and Southeast Asia implemented the APN project titled “Investigating the impacts of human activities and climate change on mangrove systems in East and Southeast Asia,” involving scientists from Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the effects of human activities and climate change on the ability of mangrove forests to serve as carbon and nutrient sinks and (ii) assess the potential of these mangrove forests facing deterioration and their potential to resist the deterioration they have faced over the past century. Through this collaborative effort, we aim to improve our understanding of the carbon, nutrient and pollutant dynamics trends in these ecosystems, thus contributing to the broader understanding of the need for mangrove conservation and inspiring action at various societal levels.
Achievements
We have successfully collected sediment cores from selected mangrove forests in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and the sediments were determined for 210Pb activity, particle size, bulk elemental composition, stable carbon isotope, lignin, microplastics and phosphorus species. To date, we have published five papers based on these studies (Hu et al., 2022; 2024; Mohamed et al. 2023; Pradit et al., 2022; You et al., 2022), and we successfully organised a mangrove conference in 2023.
Mangrove conference
2023 Mangrove Conference poster
We organised an international conference on mangrove forests from 17-18 October 2023 in Zhoushan, China. The conference aimed to bring together collaborators and scientists working on various aspects of mangrove forests, fostering collaboration and dialogue. The conference, titled “2023 Mangrove Conference – Monitoring, Conservation, and Sustainable Development,” was conducted through a series of virtual and in-person talks. Experts from various countries exchanged research results from various fields regarding mangrove forests and discussed the problems faced by mangrove wetlands. Discussions also tackled solutions and insights that will help realise global carbon reduction and promote the construction of a sustainable marine community with a shared future.
| 17th October 2023 (afternoon session) | |
| Session 1 | |
| Presenter | Title |
| Professor Lin Guanghui | Carbon cycle and blue carbon potentials of natural vs restored mangrove forests in China |
| Professor Ouyang Xiaoguang | Mangrove conservation and carbon sinks under global changes |
| Dr Ahmad Aldrie Amir (online) | Are mangrove restoration projects being done right? |
| Session 2 | |
| Professor Oleg Shipin (online) | Major unused C storage potential for mangroves in the deep inland areas, particularly cities |
| Dr Kashif Ali Solangi (online) | Integrating electrophysiological data, remote sensing, and GIS techniques for the adaptive management of mangrove species |
| Dr Nicole Khan | Thresholds of mangrove survival under rapid sea-level rise |
| Dr Nguyen Tai Tue | Management of mangrove ecosystems for enhancing climate change response and sustainability in Vietnam |
| Professor Wu Jiaping | Carbon sequestration and the changes of eco-environmental properties after mangrove transplantation in the northernmost subtropical area of China |
| 18th October 2023 (morning session) | |
| Session 3 | |
| Presenter | Title |
| Professor Che Abd Rahim Mohamed | Radionuclides is a tool to estimate the sedimentation rate at mangrove area |
| Dr Maria Fernanda Adame (Online) | Coastal wetlands that protect the Great Barrier Reef |
| Dr Bong Chui Wei | Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in tropical mangrove estuaries of Malaysia |
| Dr Bijeesh Kozhikkodan Veettil | Mangrove research in Vietnam: past, present and future |
| Session 4 | |
| Professor Chen Luzhen | Exploring on monitoring and trading mechanisms of coastal blue carbon |
| Mr Henricus Rotarius Octavianus Tarigan | Determining rehabilitation strategy for mangrove ecosystems: Case of Sumenep Regency, Jawa Timur Province, Indonesia |
| Dr Virni Budi Arifanti (Online) | Mangrove blue carbon research in Indonesia |
| Miss Alexa Samantha Tivera Hernandez (Online) | Mangroves enhancing local climate resilience: the case of Olo-Olo mangrove forest and ecopark, Lobo, Batangas |
| 18th October 2023 (afternoon session) | |
| Session 5 | |
| Presenter | Title |
| Professor Dixon Gevaña | Mangrove conservation: pressing challenges and future actions |
| Dr Siriporn Pradit | Microplastic accumulation in sediment from two mangrove areas in Southern Thailand |
| Miss Sharafina Zul Qisthi | Anthropogenic impact assessing of mangrove ecosystem using biotic index in Sumenep, Jawa Timur Province, Indonesia |
| Dr Loh Pei Sun | Biogeochemistry of sedimentary organic matter and phosphorus in mangroves |
| Session 6 | |
| Professor Zhang Zhaohui | Carbon sources, trophic level and transfer of heavy metals through the aquatic food web in the largest mangrove reserve in China |
| Dr Nguyen Hai -Hoa | Status of mangrove forests and enhancement of carbon storage & sequestration: solutions toward climate change mitigations in Vietnam |
| Dr Sigit Sasmito (Online) | Identifying mangrove restoration opportunities in Indonesia |
| Mr Md Nurul Islam (Online) | Understanding social resilience in Sundarbans Delta: stories from the world’s largest mangrove forest |
Poster:
- Dr Kim Jin-Soo, Chen Ran: Sharp NDVI declines in Hong Kong’s mangroves related to weather extremes.
- Dr Li Li, Wu Lihong: Positive feedback between tidal flats and sediments in Hangzhou Bay.
- Dr Li Li, Zhou Yuanhang: Characterization of hydrodynamics and marine carbon distribution in Hangzhou Bay and nearby waters.
- Dr Xia Yuezhang, Gao Kai: Geometric modelling of mangrove root systems based on self-similarity principle.
Challenges and opportunities
This project has provided research opportunities for several students on topics related to microplastic pollution and the biogeochemistry of sedimentary organic matter and phosphorus species. However, additional work is still needed regarding the detailed monitoring of mangrove forests, especially in Southeast Asia. The 2023 Mangrove Conference provided an important platform for learning and exchange among mangrove scientists, promoting academic innovation and enhancing international cooperation. It also motivated young scientists to learn from experts by seizing opportunities to interact with them. Future discussions should engage diverse stakeholders and policymakers and thus increase awareness of the importance of mangrove conservation and maintaining the sustainability of these blue carbon ecosystems.
References
- Adame, M. F., Connolly, R. M., Turschwell, M. P., Lovelock, C. E., Fatoyinbo, T., Lagomasino, D., Goldberg, L. A., Holdorf, J., Friess, D. A., Sasmito, S. D., Sanderman, J., Sievers, M., Buelow, C., Kauffman, J. B., Bryan‐Brown, D., & Brown, C. J. (2021). Future carbon emissions from global mangrove forest loss. Global Change Biology (Vol. 27, Issue 12, pp. 2856–2866). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15571
- Atwood, T. B., Connolly, R. M., Almahasheer, H., Carnell, P. E., Duarte, C. M., Ewers Lewis, C. J., Irigoien, X., Kelleway, J. J., Lavery, P. S., Macreadie, P. I., Serrano, O., Sanders, C. J., Santos, I., Steven, A. D. L., & Lovelock, C. E. (2017). Global patterns in mangrove soil carbon stocks and losses. Nature Climate Change (Vol. 7, Issue 7, pp. 523–528). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3326
- Friess, D. A., Rogers, K., Lovelock, C. E., Krauss, K. W., Hamilton, S. E., Lee, S. Y., Lucas, R., Primavera, J., Rajkaran, A., & Shi, S. (2019). The State of the World’s Mangrove Forests: Past, Present, and Future. Annual Review of Environment and Resources (Vol. 44, Issue 1, pp. 89–115). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101718-033302
- Hu, J., Loh, P.S., Pradit, S., Le, T.P.Q., Oeurng, C., Mohamed, C.A.R., Lee, C.W., Lu, X., Anshari, G.Z., Kandasamy, S., Wang, J., Li, Z., Qin, H., Ji, L., & Guo, J. (2022). Assessing the effect of age and geomorphic setting on organic carbon accumulation in high-latitude human-planted mangroves. Forests (Vol.13, Issue 1),105. MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13010105
- Hu, J., Pradit, S., Loh, P. S., Chen, Z., Guo, C., Le, T. P. Q., Oeurng, C., Sok, T., Mohamed, C. A. R., Lee, C. W., Bong, C. W., Lu, X., Anshari, G. Z., Kandasamy, S., & Wang, J. (2024). Storage and dynamics of soil organic carbon in allochthonous-dominated and nitrogen-limited natural and planted mangrove forests in southern Thailand. Marine Pollution Bulletin (Vol. 200, p. 116064). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116064
- Mohamed, C. A. R., Shahruddin, A. N., Pradit, S., Loh, P. S., Nitiratsuwan, T., Kobkeatthawin, T., Noppradit, P., Le, T. P. Q., Oeurng, C., Sok, T., Lee, C. W., Bong, C. W., Lu, X., Anshari, G. Z., Kandasamy, S., & Wang, J. (2023). Depth Profiles of Microplastic in Sediment Cores in the Mangrove Area of Kuala Gula Mangrove, Malaysia. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (Vol. 11, Issue 6, p. 1223). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11061223
- Pradit, S., Noppradit, P., Loh, P.-S., Nitiratsuwan, T., Le, T. P. Q., Oeurng, C., Mohamed, C. A. R., Lee, C. W., Lu, X., Anshari, G. Z., Kandasamy, S., & Wang, J. (2022). The Occurrence of Microplastics in Sediment Cores from Two Mangrove Areas in Southern Thailand. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (Vol. 10, Issue 3, p. 418). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10030418
- Thomas, N., Lucas, R., Bunting, P., Hardy, A., Rosenqvist, A., & Simard, M. (2017). Distribution and drivers of global mangrove forest change, 1996–2010. S. Joseph (Ed.), PLOS ONE (Vol. 12, Issue 6, p. e0179302). Public Library of Science (PLoS). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179302
- You, S., Loh, P., Li, Z., Qin, H., Pradit, S., Le, T. P. Q., Oeurng, C., Mohamed, C. A. R., Lee, C. W., Lu, X., Anshari, G. Z., Kandasamy, S., Wang, J., Ji, L., & Guo, J. (2022). Geochemical Behavior of Sedimentary Phosphorus Species in Northernmost Artificial Mangroves in China. Forests (Vol. 13, Issue 4, p. 610). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040610
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