Research Paper

Enhancement of carbon sequestration capacity by restoring mangroves in Kaohsiung Jhongdu Wetland Park

Jung-Yi Lai, Chuan-Wen Ho, Chiao-Wen Lin, Wei‐Jen Lin, Hsuan-Ying Chen, Hui-Jung Wu, Chung-Twan Kuo, Hsing-Juh Lin

Published on: 26 January 2026

Page: 126 - 134

DOI: 10.6165/tai.2026.71.126

  • BibTeX
    •
  • EndNote
    •
  • RIS
    •

    Abstract

    This study examines the enhancement in carbon sequestration capacity of three mangrove species restored in the Jhongdu Wetland Park, Kaohsiung City. Among them, Avicennia marina demonstrated the highest carbon sequestration capacity, followed by Rhizophora stylosa and Lumnitzera racemosa. When compared to the carbon sequestration rates of natural mangroves along other coastal areas of Taiwan, the restored mangroves in the wetland park exhibited significantly higher rates. However, current maintenance practices treat the park primarily as an urban landscape park, involving extensive pruning and removal when vegetation becomes overly dense. This study confirms that the mangroves in the wetland park function as effective carbon sinks, highlighting their ecological value and ecosystem services they provide in urban environments. It is therefore recommended that proper thinning and management practices be adopted to enhance Kaohsiung City's capacity for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is recommended to support its inclusion as a nature-based solution in urban climate strategies.

    Keyword: carbon sink, constructed wetland, greenhouse gas emission, maintenance and management, mangrove forest

    Literature Cited

    Alongi, D.M. 2008 Mangrove forests: resilience, protection from tsunamis, and responses to global climate change. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 76: 1–13.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2007.08.024View Article Google Scholar

    Alongi, D.M. 2011 Early growth responses of mangroves to different rates of nitrogen and phosphorus supply. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 397(2): 85–93.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2010.11.021View Article Google Scholar

    Alongi, D.M. 2012 Carbon sequestration in mangrove forests. Carbon Manag. 3(3): 313–322.
    DOI: 10.4155/cmt.12.20View Article Google Scholar

    Chiu, S.H., Huang, Y.H., Lin, H.J. 2013 Carbon budget of leaves of the tropical intertidal seagrass Thalassia hemprichii. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 125: 27–35.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2013.03.026View Article Google Scholar

    Chou, M.Q., Lin, W.J., Lin, C.W., Wu, H.H., Lin, H.J. 2022 Allometric equations may underestimate the contribution of fine roots to mangrove carbon sequestration. Sci. Total Environ. 833: 155032.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155032View Article Google Scholar

    Comley, B.W., McGuinness, K.A. 2005 Above- and below-ground biomass, and allometry, of four common northern Australian mangroves. Aust. J. Bot. 53(5): 431–436.
    DOI: 10.1071/BT04162View Article Google Scholar

    Donato, D.C., Kauffman, J.B., Murdiyarso, D., Kurnianto, S., Stidham, M., Kanninen, M. 2011 Mangroves among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics. Nat. Geosci. 4(5): 293–297.
    DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1123View Article Google Scholar

    Duarte, C.M., Middelburg, J.J., Caraco, N. 2005 Major role of marine vegetation on the oceanic carbon cycle. Biogeosciences 2: 1–8.
    DOI: 10.5194/bg-2-1-2005View Article Google Scholar

    Duarte, C., Agust?, S. 2011 Rapid carbon cycling in the oligotrophic ocean. Biogeosci. Discuss. 8: 11661–11687.

    Ellison, A.M. 2000 Mangrove restoration: do we know enough? Restor. Ecol. 8(3): 219–229.
    DOI: 10.1046/j.1526-100x.2000.80033.xView Article Google Scholar

    Erwin, K.L. 2009 Wetlands and global climate change: the role of wetland restoration in a changing world. Wetl. Ecol. Manag. 17(1): 71–84.
    DOI: 10.1007/s11273-008-9119-1View Article Google Scholar

    Geva?a, D., Im, S. 2016 Allometric models for Rhizophora stylosa Griff. in dense monoculture plantation in the Philippines. Malays. For. 79: 39–53.

    Herrera-Silveira, J.A., Pech-Cardenas, M.A., Morales-Ojeda, S.M., Cinco-Castro, S., Camacho-Rico, A., Sosa, J.P.C., Mendoza-Martinez, J.E., Pech-Poot, E.Y., Montero, J., Teutli-Hernandez, C. 2020 Blue carbon of Mexico, carbon stocks and fluxes: a systematic review. PeerJ 8: e8790.
    DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8790View Article Google Scholar

    Ho, C.-W., Huang, J.-S., Lin, H.-J. 2018 Effects of tree thinning on carbon sequestration in mangroves. Mar. Freshw. Res. 69(5): 741–750.
    DOI: 10.1071/MF17151View Article Google Scholar

    Huang, Y.H., Lee, C.L., Chung, C.Y., Hsiao, S.C., Lin, H.J. 2015 Carbon budgets of multispecies seagrass beds at Dongsha Island in the South China Sea. Mar. Environ. Res. 106: 92–102.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.03.004View Article Google Scholar

    Irving, A.D., Connell, S.D., Russell, B.D. 2011 Restoring coastal plants to improve global carbon storage: reaping what we sow. PLoS ONE 6(3): e18311.
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018311View Article Google Scholar

    Kangkuso, A., Jamili, J., Septiana, A., Raya, R., Sahidin, I., Rianse, U., Nadaoka, K. 2016 Allometric models and aboveground biomass of Lumnitzera racemosa Willd. forest in Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. For. Sci. Technol. 12(1): 43–50.
    DOI: 10.1080/21580103.2015.1034191View Article Google Scholar

    Komiyama, A., Poungparn, S., Kato, S. 2005 Common allometric equations for estimating the tree weight of mangroves. J. Trop. Ecol. 21(4): 471–477.
    DOI: 10.1017/S0266467405002476View Article Google Scholar

    Li, S.B., Chen, P.H., Huang, J.S., Hsueh, M.L., Hsieh, L.Y., Lee, C.L., Lin, H.J. 2018 Factors regulating carbon sinks in mangrove ecosystems. Glob. Change Biol. 24(9): 4195–4210.
    DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14322View Article Google Scholar

    Lin, C.-W., Kao, Y.-C., Chou, M.-C., Wu, H.-H., Ho, C.-W., Lin, H.-J. 2020a Methane emissions from subtropical and tropical mangrove ecosystems in Taiwan. Forests 11(4): 470.
    DOI: 10.3390/f11040470View Article Google Scholar

    Lin, W.J., Wu, J., Lin, H.J. 2020b Contribution of unvegetated tidal flats to coastal carbon flux. Glob. Change Biol. 26(6): 3443–3454.
    DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15107View Article Google Scholar

    Lin, W.J., Chiu, M.C., Lin, C.W., Lin, H.J. 2021a Effects of sediment characteristics on carbon dioxide fluxes based on interacting factors in unvegetated tidal flats. Front. Mar. Sci. 8: 670180.
    DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.670180View Article Google Scholar

    Lin, C.-W., Kao, Y.-C., Lin, W.-J., Ho, C.-W., Lin, H.-J. 2021b Effects of pneumatophore density on methane emissions in mangroves. Forests 12(3): 314.
    DOI: 10.3390/f12030314View Article Google Scholar

    Lin, W.-J., Lin, C.-W., Wu, H.-H., Kao, Y.-C., Lin, H.-J. 2023 Mangrove carbon budgets suggest the estimation of net production and carbon burial by quantifying litterfall. Catena 232: 107421.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.catena.2023.107421View Article Google Scholar

    Livesley, S.J., Andrusiak, S.M. 2012 Temperate mangrove and salt marsh sediments are a small methane and nitrous oxide source but important carbon store. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 97: 19–27.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2011.11.002View Article Google Scholar

    Lo Iacono, C., Mateo, M.A., Gracia, E., Guasch, L., Carbonell, R., Serrano, L., Serrano, O., Da?obeitia, J. 2008 Very high-resolution seismo-acoustic imaging of seagrass meadows (Mediterranean Sea): implications for carbon sink estimates. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35(18): L18601.
    DOI: 10.1029/2008GL034773View Article Google Scholar

    Lovelock, C.E., Ruess, R.W., Feller, I.C. 2011 CO2 efflux from cleared mangrove peat. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21279.
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021279View Article Google Scholar

    McLeod, E., Chmura, G.L., Bouillon, S., Salm, R., Bj?rk, M., Duarte, C.M., Lovelock, C.E., Schlesinger, W.H., Silliman, B.R. 2011 A blueprint for blue carbon: toward an improved understanding of the role of vegetated coastal habitats in sequestering CO2. Front. Ecol. Environ. 9(10): 552–560.
    DOI: 10.1890/110004View Article Google Scholar

    Nellemann, C., Corcoran, E., Duarte, C.M., Valdes, L., De Young, C., Fonseca, L., Grimsditch, G. 2009 Blue carbon: a rapid response assessment. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal, Arendal, Norway. 1–80.

    Sidik, F., Lovelock, C.E. 2013 CO2 efflux from shrimp ponds in Indonesia. PLoS ONE 8(6): e66329.
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066329View Article Google Scholar

    Smith, C., Nicholls, Z.R.J., Armour, K., Collins, W., Forster, P., Meinshausen, M., Palmer, M.D., Watanabe, M. 2021 The Earth’s Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks, and Climate Sensitivity Supplementary Material. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, USA.

    Valiela, I., Bowen, J.L., York, J.K. 2001 Mangrove forests: one of the world’s threatened major tropical environments. BioScience 51(10): 807–815.
    DOI: 10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0807:MFOOTW]2.0.CO;2View Article Google Scholar

    Yang, L., Tsai, C.-B., Yuan, C.-S., Cheng, K.-Y., Lin, H.-J. 2018 Assessment of carbon sequestration and budget for two saline mangrove artificial wetlands functioned for different ecological services. J. Wetlands 7: 52–71.

    Yulianto, G., Soewardi, K., Adrianto, L. 2016 The role of mangrove in support of coastal fisheries in Indramayu Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Aquac. Aquar. Conserv. Legis. Int. J. Bioflux Soc. 9: 1020–1029.

    Yu, O., Chmura, G. 2009 Soil carbon may be maintained under grazing in a St Lawrence Estuary tidal marsh. Environ. Conserv. 36(4): 312–320.
    DOI: 10.1017/S0376892910000184View Article Google Scholar