Ecosystem Services and Ecological Processes
Storm Surge Reduction by MangrovesBackgroundFlooding and wave energy from storm surges can damage infrastructure and harm inhabitants of coastal communities. Climate change and sea level rise have the potential to increase or intensify storm surges, which necessitate investment in coastal defenses and disaster risk reduction. Mangroves can reduce the effects of storm surges through attenuating waves and wind, making mangroves an important form of nature-based protection for coastal communities. Open access copy available |
Reduction of Wind and Swell Waves by MangrovesBackgroundCoastal ecosystems can mitigate the damage from extreme weather events like tropical storms and hurricanes. With human populations increasing in coastal areas, policymakers and stakeholders are interested in coastal ecosystems, like mangrove forests, as a nature-based form of coastal defense and resilience. This report aims to examine the potential for mangroves to reduce wind and swell waves in order to inform decision makers about the potential for mangroves to decrease the risks faced by coastal communities. Open access copy available |
Participatory scenarios and spatial modelling to explore mangrove ecosystem services futures in Lamu, KenyaBackgroundLamu County, Kenya contains Kenya’s most extensive mangrove forests, which provide many vital ecosystem services (ES) for local communities (e.g., nutrition, building material, coastal protection, climate regulation). Land use and land cover change (LULCC), such as coastal development or infrastructure projects, threaten mangroves and their ES. Participatory scenario planning can help communities develop models of future LULCC grounded in both scientific evidence and local experience. Using these models in Lamu could inform future policy to preserve Lamu’s mangroves and balance country-level economic needs with local ES. Open access copy available |
Forest carbon in Amazonia: the unrecognized contribution of indigenous territories and protected natural areasBackgroundAmazonia stores an estimated 80–120 Pg of aboveground carbon, and changes in this stock have global climate implications. Indigenous territories (ITs) and protected natural areas (PNAs) together cover roughly one-third to one-half of the Amazon region, yet their specific contribution to maintaining forest carbon has often been overlooked in regional mitigation discussions. Quantifying their role is important for designing REDD+, climate finance, and land rights policies that reflect on-the-ground conservation performance. Open access copy available |
Ecosystem Services of Mangroves: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Contemporary Scientific LiteratureBackgroundMangroves provide many ecosystem services, such as breeding grounds for aquatic organisms, sediment accumulation sites, coastal protection, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration. Beyond ecological functions, mangroves also sustain coastal livelihoods by providing natural resources and contributing to local economies. However, anthropogenic pressures from coastal development, agriculture, and aquaculture degrade mangrove ecosystems and the important ecosystem services they provide. Therefore, it is important to quantify and describe mangrove ecosystem services to better inform coastal policymakers and managers interested in mangrove conservation. Open access copy available |
Mangrove Forests: Protection Against and Resilience to Coastal DisturbancesBackgroundOpen access copy available |
A meta-analysis of the ecological and economic outcomes of mangrove restorationBackgroundMangrove forests provide many ecosystem services to local and global communities that are both ecologically and economically important. Global mangrove loss and degradation decrease the provision of ecosystem services; however, mangrove restoration projects can reverse these effects and support critical ecosystem services. Therefore, syntheses of different restoration project outcomes are necessary to encourage global political support and investment into preserving mangroves and their vital ecosystem services. Open access copy available |
The Evolution of Carbon Market: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric StudyBackgroundCarbon markets are now central to climate policy because governments increasingly rely on carbon pricing to align economic decisions with emission reduction targets. As emissions trading systems and carbon taxes expand in scope and scale, policymakers and researchers need a clear picture of how underlying scholarship has developed and where knowledge gaps remain. Literature on carbon markets has grown rapidly, spanning multiple disciplines, making it difficult to track dominant themes, influential contributions, and blind spots, especially around equity, governance, and Global South experiences. Open access copy available |
Overestimated natural biological nitrogen fixation translates to an exaggerated CO2 fertilization effectBackgroundBiological nitrogen fixation (BNF) supplies a substantial fraction of reactive nitrogen of ecosystems, typically estimated in the tens to over 100 Tg N yr⁻¹ globally, thus constraining how strongly plants can respond to rising CO2. Many Earth system models (ESMs) parameterize BNF such that nitrogen does not strongly limit CO2 fertilization, potentially inflating modelled land carbon sinks and underestimating future atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Quantifying this bias is important for realistic carbon budget and mitigation assessments. Open access copy available |
The construction of biodiversity in conservation policy discourse: A multiscalar analysisBackgroundOpen access copy available |
