Blue carbon at the southern tip of Africa : current knowledge and future perspectives for dynamic estuarine environments

dc.contributor.authorAdams, Janine B.
dc.contributor.authorButtner, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorHawkes, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorHuman, Lucienne R.D.
dc.contributor.authorMachite, Anesu
dc.contributor.authorMfikili, Athi N.
dc.contributor.authorNdhlovu, Andrew
dc.contributor.authorSmit, Leigh-Ann
dc.contributor.authorRajkaran, Anusha
dc.contributor.authorRiddin, Taryn
dc.contributor.authorRishworth, Gavin M.
dc.contributor.authorVan Deventer, Heidi
dc.contributor.authorVan Niekerk, Lara
dc.contributor.authorVon der Heyden, Sophie
dc.contributor.authorWhitfield, Emily C.
dc.contributor.authorRaw, Jacqueline L.
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-24T07:16:46Z
dc.date.available2025-06-24T07:16:46Z
dc.date.issued2025-09
dc.descriptionDATA AVAILABILITY : Data are available from the authors upon request.
dc.description.abstractBlue Carbon Ecosystems (BCEs), specifically salt marsh, seagrass, mangroves, occur in South Africa's relatively small, sheltered estuaries that are often disconnected from the ocean. These are dynamic environments where shifts between BCEs and other habitats along ecotones occur in response to mouth changes, floods and droughts, as well as anthropogenic pressures. Although Blue Carbon is becoming well established in South Africa, critical knowledge gaps remain; these are summarised under seven themes and future research and management actions identified. A holistic approach is recommended for Blue Carbon studies in estuaries to measure across elevation gradients (rather than focusing on individual vegetation types) and to include reeds, sedges and forested wetlands. Additionally, quantifying data deficient carbon stocks and processes, modelling future climate change impacts, instilling a sustainable long-term monitoring program, incorporating relevant emerging blue carbon stocks, realizing nationally inclusive restoration and protection co-management plans, and aligning local approaches with global frameworks of reporting are advocated as future recommendations with respect to South African BCEs. South Africa has high biodiversity and unique pressures influencing BCEs and is well positioned to inform the global research agenda. While the limited spatial extent of BCEs restricts the feasibility of carbon credit opportunities, high biodiversity values of these ecosystems hold potential under emerging ‘nature credit’ frameworks.
dc.description.departmentGeography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology
dc.description.librarianhj2025
dc.description.sdgSDG-13: Climate action
dc.description.sdgSDG-15: Life on land
dc.description.sdgSDG-14: Life below water
dc.description.sponsorshipThe DSI/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems; the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, through the implemented Climate Support Programme, as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) for the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment; the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV); the CSIR's Department of Science and Innovation Parliamentary Grant; Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the National Research Foundation; the NRF Marine Coastal Research Grant programme.
dc.description.urihttps://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecss
dc.identifier.citationAdams, J.B., Buttner, D., Hawkes, S. et al. 2025, 'Blue Carbon at the southern tip of Africa: current knowledge and future perspectives for dynamic estuarine environments', Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol. 322, art. 109360, pp. 1-18, doi : 10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109360.
dc.identifier.issn0272-7714 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1096-0015 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109360
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/102944
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.rights© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
dc.subjectBlue carbon ecosystems (BCEs)
dc.subjectClimate change
dc.subjectEstuary
dc.subjectMangroves
dc.subjectMonitoring
dc.subjectTidal ecosystems
dc.subjectSalt marsh
dc.subjectSeagrass
dc.titleBlue carbon at the southern tip of Africa : current knowledge and future perspectives for dynamic estuarine environments
dc.typeArticle

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