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Australian vegetated coastal ecosystems as global hotspots for climate change mitigation

Serrano O 1 , Lovelock CE 2 , B Atwood T 3 , Macreadie PI 4 , Canto R 3 , Phinn S 3 Show all authors , Arias-Ortiz A 5 , Bai L 6 , Baldock J 7 , Bedulli C 8 , Carnell P 4 , Connolly RM 9 , Donaldson P 10 , Esteban A 11 , Ewers Lewis CJ 4 , Eyre BD 12 , Hayes MA 2 , Horwitz P 11 , Hutley LB 6 , Kavazos CRJ 11 , Kelleway JJ 13 , Kendrick GA 8 , Kilminster K 14 , Lafratta A 11 , Lee S 9 , Lavery PS 11 , Maher DT 12 , Marbà N 15 , Masque P 11 , Mateo MA 11 , Mount R 16 , Ralph PJ 17 , Roelfsema C 18 , Rozaimi M 11 , Ruhon R 8 , Salinas C 11 , Samper-Villarreal J 3 , Sanderman J 7 , J Sanders C 19 , Santos I 19 , Sharples C 16 , Steven ADL 20 , Cannard T 20 , Trevathan-Tackett SM 4 , Duarte CM 8

Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia. o.serranogras@ecu.edu.au
  • 2 School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
  • 3 The Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
  • 4 Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Burwood Campus, Geelong, VIC, 3125, Australia
  • 5 Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals and Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
  • 6 Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, 0810, Australia
  • 7 CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Locked Bag 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia
  • 8 UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
  • 9 Australian Rivers Institute-Coast and Estuaries, School of Environment andScience, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4222, Australia
  • 10 BMT Environment, Newcastle, NSW, 2292, Australia
  • 11 School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia
  • 12 Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
  • 13 School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, 2522, Australia
  • 14 School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
  • 15 Global Change Research Group, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Miquel Marquès 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain
  • 16 Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
  • 17 Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia
  • 18 Remote Sensing Research Centre/Joint Remote Sensing Research Program, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia
  • 19 National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW, 2450, Australia
  • 20 CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Queensland Biosciences Precinct, 306 Carmody Rd, St. Lucia, QLD, 4067, Australia
Nat Commun, 2019 10 02;10(1):4313.
PMID: 31575872 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12176-8

Abstract

Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE; tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here, we present organic carbon (C) storage in VCE across Australian climate regions and estimate potential annual CO2 emission benefits of VCE conservation and restoration. Australia contributes 5-11% of the C stored in VCE globally (70-185 Tg C in aboveground biomass, and 1,055-1,540 Tg C in the upper 1 m of soils). Potential CO2 emissions from current VCE losses are estimated at 2.1-3.1 Tg CO2-e yr-1, increasing annual CO2 emissions from land use change in Australia by 12-21%. This assessment, the most comprehensive for any nation to-date, demonstrates the potential of conservation and restoration of VCE to underpin national policy development for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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