COASTAL habitats such as salt marshes and mangroves are able to bury many times more carbon in the soil than tropical forests, researchers claimed today.
A study by a Conservation International scientist revealed that plants in salt marshes, along with mangrove trees and seagrasses, are “extremely efficient” at locking carbon into the sediment beneath them, where it can remain for centuries.
The study shows the importance of preserving habitats ranging from the salt marshes of Britain’s coasts to Australia, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
The research suggests that areas of coastal habitats can store some 50 times as much carbon in their sediment as the same area of tropical rainforest can lock up in the soil.
