- Conserving the Coast for Man and Environment

Blue carbon is a term used to refer to carbon stored in coastal and oceanic ecosystems. Blue carbon focuses on coastal vegetative ecosystems which include salt marshes, tidal flats and mangrove forests. Globally, mangrove forests provide various ecosystem services including provisional, regulatory and protection.

Nigeria has the fifth largest mangrove area globally and together with the top four makes up about 48% of the global cover. Nigerian mangrove forests are beneficial because of fishery production, wood resources, protection from storm surges and aesthetic values. Mangrove forests in Nigeria are faced with loss from oil pollution, urban expansion and unsustainable logging activities. Logging activities can also lead to further encroachment of nipa palm, an invasive species introduced in the early 1900s.