The Amazon's mangroves are 'twice as carbon rich' as its rainforests

Sep 12, 2018

Mangroves grow on the banks of Oiapoque River on the coast of Amapa state, near Oiapoque city, northern Brazil, April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "OIL AMAZON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in coastal waters across the tropics and subtropics. Image: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

Daisy Dunne

Science Writer, Carbon Brief

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Estimated carbon stock in tonnes per hectare in Amazon mangroves and forests, “Caatinga” (desert-like) mangroves and forests, salt marshes and “Cerrado” (savannah) ecosystems. Green shows the results for aboveground carbon, brown shows the results for shallow belowground carbon and black shows the result for deep belowground carbon.

Image: Boone Kaufmann et al. (2018)

— Dr Mark Spalding

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