Are mangroves Sarawak’s next carbon economy?

SARAWAK has long valued its forests for timber, biodiversity, water catchments and conservation. Now, another value is gaining attention: carbon. Along the coastline, mangroves that have protected communities and supported fisheries for generations are increasingly being recognised for their potential to contribute to a new economic sector. Could these ecosystems become Sarawak’s next carbon economy?

The idea is gaining relevance as Sarawak explores carbon management and nature-based solutions. Coastal areas such as Mukah, with extensive mangrove and peatland ecosystems, have been highlighted for their potential in carbon trading. This reflects a shift in how these environments are viewed: not merely as ecological assets, but as natural capital with potential economic value.

To understand this opportunity, it is important to understand blue carbon — carbon captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, particularly mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses.

Mangroves are especially valuable because they store carbon in their trunks, branches and roots, as well as in the soil beneath them. In waterlogged, oxygen-poor conditions, organic material such as fallen leaves and dead roots decomposes slowly, allowing carbon to accumulate in sediments over long periods.

Unlike forests where carbon storage is often associated with trees above ground, much of a mangrove ecosystem’s carbon lies beneath the surface. This underground carbon can remain stored for centuries if the ecosystem stays healthy and undisturbed.

Mangroves also provide benefits beyond climate mitigation. They reduce coastal erosion, weaken waves, protect shorelines, provide nursery grounds for fish and prawns, support wildlife and help maintain water quality. They function as natural infrastructure, delivering several benefits at once: carbon storage, biodiversity conservation, fisheries support, coastal resilience and livelihoods.

Carbon markets could create an additional financial incentive to protect and restore these ecosystems. Rather than treating conservation solely as a cost, carbon finance could help fund it as a long-term investment. However, having mangroves does not automatically mean having carbon credits.

A credible carbon credit must represent a real, measurable climate benefit. A project must establish the existing conditions, demonstrate what would likely happen without intervention, quantify the improvement it delivers and show that the benefits can be maintained over time.

This requires effective Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV).

The first step is measuring how much carbon is stored in a mangrove area. Scientists may measure tree height, diameter and species, examine roots and collect soil samples. Soil analysis is particularly important because a substantial share of mangrove carbon is stored underground.

Technology can support this work. Satellite imagery, radar, drones and geographic information systems can map mangrove coverage, identify degradation and track changes. Researchers in Sarawak are already combining satellite data with field measurements to estimate mangrove biomass.

However, satellites cannot measure everything. Although they provide valuable information about vegetation and changes above ground, soil carbon still requires fieldwork and scientific sampling. Reliable baseline data is essential before a project can make credible claims about its carbon stocks.

Another critical requirement is additionality. A project generally needs to demonstrate that its carbon benefits would not have occurred in the same way without the intervention. Simply measuring carbon already stored in a protected mangrove area does not automatically generate new credits, particularly if the area faces little risk of degradation.

Projects must therefore establish what would happen without them. Would the mangroves be cleared or degraded? Would restoration otherwise fail to take place? If a project changes that likely outcome, it may deliver an additional climate benefit.

Permanence is equally important. Mangroves can store carbon for long periods but coastal development, pollution, erosion, extreme weather and rising sea levels can threaten their survival. If an ecosystem is destroyed, some of its stored carbon may eventually be released into the atmosphere.

A credible project must therefore plan beyond the initial sale of credits. It needs arrangements for long-term protection, monitoring and accountability, including measures to address potential carbon losses. These considerations are central to determining whether the claimed climate benefits are reliable.

The social dimension must also be considered. Coastal communities often depend on mangroves for fishing, access to natural resources and their livelihoods. If these ecosystems become valuable carbon assets, local people should not be excluded from decisions or benefits.

Well-designed blue-carbon projects can involve communities from the outset and direct revenue towards restoration jobs, local monitoring, fisheries management, alternative livelihoods and community development. Residents who help protect these ecosystems should have a meaningful role in the process and a fair share of the benefits.

Sarawak could bring together local communities, universities, government agencies and technology providers to develop such projects. Residents could help monitor mangroves, researchers could measure carbon stocks, satellites could track changes and public agencies could oversee implementation. Carbon finance could then support restoration and local livelihoods.

This approach would treat blue carbon as an investment in an entire coastal ecosystem, rather than simply a way to generate credits.

Mangroves should never be valued solely according to the market price of carbon. Even if carbon prices fall, these ecosystems continue to protect coastlines, support fisheries, store carbon, sustain biodiversity and benefit communities. Carbon finance should strengthen conservation, not replace recognition of its wider value.

There is also an opportunity to develop expertise in environmental science, remote sensing, geographic information systems, carbon accounting, auditing, law, finance and community engagement. By building these skills locally, Sarawak could develop capabilities extending beyond individual projects and establish a stronger base of tropical blue-carbon knowledge.

Universities and research institutions will be important in this effort. More detailed information is needed on the distribution, condition and carbon stocks of Sarawak’s mangroves. Such data would help determine which areas should be protected, which could benefit from restoration and which might be suitable for carbon projects.

The international carbon market is also placing greater emphasis on credible climate benefits, additionality, permanence, biodiversity safeguards and community participation. Buyers increasingly scrutinise project quality while issues such as double counting must be addressed. Credits supported by sound evidence and transparent monitoring are better positioned to maintain credibility.

Sarawak therefore has reason to proceed carefully: measure first, understand the ecosystems and risks, and monetise only where projects can demonstrate genuine benefits.

Not every mangrove area needs to become a carbon project. Degraded areas may offer restoration opportunities while intact ecosystems may be best managed primarily for conservation. Decisions should reflect ecological conditions and community needs rather than assume that all mangroves must generate credits.

So, are mangroves Sarawak’s next carbon economy? They could become part of it but the opportunity extends beyond selling carbon credits. Carbon finance could help protect coastlines, restore degraded ecosystems, strengthen scientific monitoring, support communities and develop new environmental expertise.

Success should not be measured only in credits issued or revenue earned. It should also be measured by whether mangroves remain standing, communities benefit, fisheries remain productive, coastlines stay protected and carbon continues to be stored safely beneath the mud and roots.

If Sarawak can achieve these outcomes, blue carbon could contribute to the state’s economy while protecting the natural systems on which coastal communities depend. The lasting opportunity is not simply to create a market around mangroves but to build an economy that gives nature a reason to remain alive.

The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached khanwaseem@upm.edu.my