Title: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Puerto Rico Mangroves

Presenter(s): Jahnelle Howe

Date: Wednesday , August 28 2024 from 11:00 – 12:00 pm

Webinar Link : https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6094444959284406880

About Speaker: Jahnelle Howe

Abstract:

Mangroves are coastal forests that persist in the ocean-land continuum and provide critical habitats for fish and wildlife. They contribute to coastal resiliency by acting as natural barriers to storm surges and preventing erosion, flooding, and disasters. Mangrove ecosystems contribute to global carbon cycles by acting as a sink of atmospheric CO2, thereby having the potential to mitigate climate change. Blue carbon refers to the carbon sequestered in litter and soil in coastal ecosystems and the oceans, having a particularly high rate of carbon storage. However, due to anthropogenic and natural hazards and climate change, the loss of mangroves poses a risk of releasing sequestered carbon stored deep within the soil into the atmosphere once exposed. This work is particularly important for Puerto Rico as mangroves are essential for coastal protection from storms (wave action, erosion, lessening impacts to communities) and critical for economically significant artisan fishers. This study focuses on two mangroves in Puerto Rico, La Parguera and Laguna Grande, for blue carbon quantification and assessing whether extreme events, including hurricanes and environmental factors such as temperature and precipitation, impact these ecosystems and their capacity to sequester blue carbon. Furthermore, this study also reviews the socio-economic conditions influencing blue economy building and blue carbon sequestration related to coastal communities’ dependency on values and services provided by these ecosystems in Puerto Rico.