Research progress on blue carbon management in coastal wetland ecotones

This paper is the result of coastal geological survey engineering.

Objective Since the term "blue carbon" was first used in 2009, the important role of blue carbon habitats in sequestering atmospheric CO₂ has received an increasing attention from environmental scientists, social scientists, and economists all over the world, and how to effectively manage coastal blue carbon has become one of the hottest topics.

Methods Based on recent publications concerned with the sustainable management of coastal wetland ecotones and the services they provide in terms of blue carbon storage, we synthesized current researches regarding blue carbon, the spatial distribution of blue carbon within coastal ecotones, and the factors that control blue carbon sequestration.

Results The total amount of blue carbon and carbon sequestration potential are huge in China's coastal wetlands. However, with the development of coastal zones becoming more and more extensive, a blue carbon sink capacity of coastal zones has been greatly affected.

Conclusions Further studies are clearly needed to identify how a synthesis of environmental, social, and economic issues can facilitate the conservation and management of blue carbon sinks, and strengthen the potential evaluation of new blue carbon sinks in the future. A blue carbon research will improve China's image within the international scientific community that concerns the researches of carbon cycle, global climate change, and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Blue carbon studies will also provide basic scientific understanding needed to identify relevant national strategies and policies with respect to coastal wetland restoration.