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also being developed to increase the profile
of mangroves in REDD+ and the UNFCCC. The
IPCC Greenhouse Gas Inventory Guidelines
for coastal wetlands are already available
and this will be the first time that mangroves
can be included in National Greenhouse
Gas Inventories submitted by Parties to the
UNFCCC. Central African Governments could
take this opportunity to begin including
mangroves and coastal wetlands in their
Greenhouse Gas Inventories and to be
reported in their National Communications or
Biennial Update Reports to the UNFCCC.
Looking beyond the carbon market, another
method of calculating the value of carbon
is the ‘social cost of carbon’; that is the total
global value of carbon in climate benefits to
humanity (the estimate of economic damages
to net agricultural productivity, human health,
and property associated with a small increase
in carbon dioxide emissions, as calculated
by the Interagency Working Group on Social
Cost of Carbon, 2013). Using this method
substantially increases the economic value of
mangrove carbon in Central Africa. The social
cost of carbon may be a non-market value,
but it could more accurately represent the real
value of ecosystems rather than what can be
traded on the market. For the year 2015, the
lower end estimate of the social cost of carbon
is USD 12 per metric ton and the higher end
estimate is USD 117 per metric ton (Interagency
Working Group on Social Cost of Carbon,
2013). This translates into lower estimates of
USD 15,588 per ha and higher estimates of
USD 151,983 per ha values for Central African
mangroves. These are not values that can
be capitalized upon in a marketplace, but
rather values that are relevant for the global
economy. Furthermore, there are more non-
market values that are locally important for
mangroves and the communities that live
around them. Examples of these include
biodiversity benefits or cultural and spiritual
values. It is very difficult and in some cases
may not even be desirable to put financial
dollar values on these benefits, but they are
also important locally and should be taken
into account.
Given the high values and multiple benefits
of mangroves, as evidenced by this report,
focusing on mangroves could be attractive
to REDD+ policymakers who are interested
in maximizing social and environmental
benefits for communities. However, in order for
mangroves to be included in REDD+ strategies,
it is imperative that the countries have a national
definition of forests that includes mangroves in
the definition. If this is not the case, then it is
not possible to include activities focusing on
mangroves in national REDD+ strategies.
As described above, REDD+ strategies should
also recognize that preventing the loss or
degradation of forest will result in multiple
benefits in addition to protecting or enhancing
carbon stocks. By focusing on multiple benefits
of mangroves, REDD+ activities can lead to
direct social benefits such as jobs, livelihoods,
land tenure clarification, enhanced participation
in decision-making and improved governance;
in addition to the carbon incentives. The UN-
REDD Programme supports countries in their
efforts to integrate multiple benefits into their
REDD+ strategies and development plans.
Outputs include general concepts and guidance
on ecosystem-based benefits and documents
responding to specific national activities and
needs. At this stage national REDD+ strategies
are being developed for the region, and it is the
opportune time to include activities focusing on
mangroves and multiple benefits.
Furthermore, even taking into account data
caveats the report points to the mangroves of
Central Africa as being an exceptional ecosystem
on a global scale, with higher carbon stocks
measured here than many other ecosystems
around. REDD+ strategies can incentivize and
support conservation, sustainable management
of forests and enhancement of forest carbon
stocks. This report thus provides a strong case
for the inclusion of mangroves in national
REDD+ strategies given their high carbon
value and additional multiple benefits, and
also the levels of threat to the ecosystem and
the associated rates of loss in the region. In the
next section, recommendations are made on
what strategies could be supported under the
REDD+ umbrella. Integrated land-use planning,
coastal zone management, adaptation planning
and REDD+ planning could all be instrumental
for an effective response to maintaining,
restoring and enhancing these ecosystems
and maximizing the benefits they provide to
society. We hope that this report can serve as a
baseline study for future regional and national
studies on mangrove ecosystems, as well as
for the development and implementation of
climate change mitigation and adaptation
strategies. The report provides evidence for
the high value of mangrove multiple benefits,
including contributions to food security; which
make them such an important ecosystem and a
priority for environmental policymakers.