Carbon pools and multiple benefits

CARBON POOLS AND MULTIPLE BENEFITS OF MANGROVES

ASSESSMENT FOR REDD+ IN CENTRAL AFRICA

STUDY APPROACH ANDMETHODOLOGY

The Project Area

Biophysical Characteristics

A variety of habitat types (coastal lagoons,

rocky shores, sandy beaches, mudflats, etc.)

characterize the Central African coastline with a

vast array of rivers flowing from the hinterlands

into the Atlantic Ocean. The confluences of these

rivers withmarine waters, and the abundant rains

in some areas (up to 4000 mm of rain in North-

Western Cameroon), form suitable conditions for

the development of giant mangrove vegetation

in the region that also harbors the world’s second

largest tropical rainforest.

Congo

DRC

Gabon

Equatorial

Guinea

Cameroon

Atlantic

Ocean

Title

Composition and distribution of

mangroves in Central Africa

Mangrove formation in Western and Central

Africa is characterized by low species diversity

similar to those in the Americas (Tomlinson,

1986). In Central Africa, there are 8 mangrove

species of economic importance (UNEP-WCMC,

2007). The largest tracts of mangrove in the

region are found in deltas and large rivers

estuaries inCameroon andGabon (UNEP-WCMC,

2007). The dominant species is

Rhizophora

racemosa

(Rhizophoraceae) which accounts for

more than 90% of the forest formation.

Figure 1: Map showing the location of selected countries for the study