Carbon storage in a restored mangrove forest in Can Gio Mangrove Forest Park, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Mangrove forests are considered to be the most important carbon (C) sink in the tropics. Evaluation of ecosystem C storage in restored mangrove forests will provide important information for management and conservation practices, climate change mitigation strategies and reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) schemes. Despite this, a gap remains in the understanding of ecosystem C storage in Can Gio Mangrove Forest Park (CGM), the largest restored mangrove forest area in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. In the present study, ecosystem C storage was quantified in CGM in growing mangrove forests, a typhoon disturbed forest, and a mudflat by measuring the biomass of trees, roots, downed woody debris, sediment organic C, and overall depth. The mean above-ground C storage was 102 ± 24.7, 298.1 ± 14.1 and 243.6 ± 40.4 MgC ha−1 for fringe, transition, and interior forests, respectively. The high above- and below-ground C stocks resulted in high ecosystem C storage, ranging from 765 to 1026 MgC ha−1, with an overall mean of 910.7 ± 32.3 MgC ha−1. The ecosystem C storage of the typhoon disturbed forest and mudflat was less than that of mangrove forests, with values of 573.5 MgC ha−1 and 619.8 ± 24.3 MgC ha−1, respectively. At the regional scale, CGM can store up to 41.5 Tg C, which is equivalent to 152.3 Tg of CO2e. The results of the present study suggest that mangrove restoration and conservation are effective tools for enhancing C storage and offsetting C emissions at both regional and national scales.