With almost one million hectares of mangrove, Mexico is one of the countries with the largest storage capacity in the world. blue carbonHowever, there is still no regulatory framework to regulate this issue, and therefore the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee of the Chamber of Deputies is already working on it.
According to WRI MexicoIn 2016, mangrove ecosystems covered 136 thousand km2 , equivalent to approximately 0.7% of the world's tropical forests. 48% of this area is concentrated in five nations: Indonesia (19%), Australia (10%), Brazil (7%), Mexico (5.4%) and Nigeria (4.7%).
As of 2020, there were 905,086 hectares of mangroves in Mexico, distributed in five regions: North Pacific, Central Pacific, South Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula. The total carbon stored in Mexico is estimated to be 1.29 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e); as a reference, during 2019, Japan's total GHG emissions were 1.16 gigatons of CO2e.
What is blue carbon?
According to the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas) (Conanp) blue carbon is the organic carbon sequestered and stored by coastal mangrove, seagrass, and salt marsh ecosystems. Although they cover less than 2% of the total ocean area, these ecosystems accumulate approximately half of the carbon sequestered in ocean sediments. They also influence long-term carbon sequestration, storing it in the soil for thousands or millions of years and for years or decades in leaves and stems.
In spite of their multiple benefits, the ecosystems of the blue carbon face degradation processes that threaten the physical safety and property of 15 million people living along the world's coasts.
Mexico can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. climate change through the conservation and restoration of the coastal ecosystems. In the case of mangroves, their capacity to capture and store blue carbon can be harnessed to meet the emission reduction targets acquired in the Paris Agreement. Likewise, the ecosystem services they provide can be integrated into climate change adaptation strategies, protecting coastal communities and generating extra economic benefits.
Lack of a regulatory framework for blue carbon
On this issue, the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee of the Chamber of Deputies held a roundtable discussion with officials and specialists, who spoke about the fundamental precepts for building a sustainable development model. blue carbon legislative framework in Mexico.
Edna Gisel Diaz AcevedoThe president of the legislative body, said that the possibilities of strengthening the national strategy should be explored through clear and defined rules to protect natural areas, in order to build a legislative framework on blue carbon.
Jaime Martínez LópezThe president of the Marine Commission, detailed that around 200 municipalities located on the coast are the ones that mainly pollute the areas that capture and store blue carbon, which is why treatment plants are required to prevent the waste from reaching the sea.
The deputy Mirza Flores Gomez The Board called for the promotion of a mechanism for regulated trade of carbon credits and establish education and awareness actions on the importance of marine and coastal ecosystems that capture and store blue carbon.
Francisco Javier Guerrero Márquez, inter-institutional coordinator of Oceanographic Research of the Secretary of the Navysaid that it is necessary to find solutions to help slow down and reverse this trend. climate crisis affecting the population.
Semarnat's director of environmental analysis, Gloria Cuevas GuillauminAs Mexico is the fourth largest country in the world in terms of mangrove extension, he said that it is necessary to have a legislative framework that integrates the concept of "blue carbon" and thus have a solid legal basis.
At the discussion table, representatives of Strategic Alliances The ICCF Group and of The Ocean FoundationThe importance of blue carbon and the need to establish legislative efforts for the conservation of mangroves were also discussed.
Sources: Congressional Channel, WRI Mexico