The Government of the Philippines’ department of environment and natural resources announced at COP28 that it is joining the World Economic Forum’s Blue Carbon Action Partnership to accelerate the restoration and conservation of coastal ecosystems.
Southeast Asia is home to almost one-third of mangroves globally, with nearly 20 percent of the world’s mangroves in Indonesia alone. Blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes store up to five times more carbon per acre than tropical rainforests and have been receiving greater attention in recent years. Still, these ecosystems are under threat of destruction. These important carbon sinks also provide support for livelihoods, food security, shoreline protection and habitat for numerous organisms.
“Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves are critical to life in the ocean and to those who live alongside it,” said Alfredo Giron, acting head of the Ocean Action Agenda and Friends of Ocean Action