Southeast Asia’s peatlands and mangroves key to carbon reduction
From Cosmos (12/2/25)…
Southeast Asia’s peatlands and mangroves key to carbon reduction
Conserving and restoring Southeast Asia’s peatlands and mangroves could mitigate more than 50% of the region’s land-use carbon emissions, according to a new study published in Nature Communications.
Peatland and mangrove ecosystems make up just 5% of the land in Southeast Asia. But they play an enormous role in carbon emission reduction. They store more than 90% of their carbon in soils, rather than vegetation. This makes them among the most efficient natural carbon sinksglobally.
Significant amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere when these ecosystems are disrupted or destroyed through land-use changes.
Dry periods, such as during an El Niño event, also result in massive carbon emissions from the peatlands and mangroves. In these periods, they also contribute to regional haze and lower air quality in the region.
Tropical mangrove forest along coast in Surin Island, Thailand. Credit: Khlongwangchao / iStock / Getty Images Plus.
