Author Identifier (ORCID)
Pere Masqué: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1789-320X
Abstract
Blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs), including mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, play a critical role in climate mitigation due to their high carbon sequestration capacity. Despite Africa's extensive and diverse coastal ecosystems, continent-wide assessments of blue carbon stocks and accumulation rates remain scarce. Here, we synthesized blue carbon data from 87 publications (January 1993 - March 2026) to evaluate the current state of knowledge and regional variability. Our analysis reveals marked regional heterogeneity in sediment organic carbon (SOC) stocks across Africa, reflecting both ecological variability and methodological differences among studies. Normalised to a sediment depth of 1 m, median SOC stocks were highest in mangroves (323 Mg C ha−1), followed by salt marshes (113 Mg C ha−1) and seagrass meadows (87 Mg C ha−1). Although empirical data remain limited, reported carbon accumulation rates in African seagrasses show substantial spatial variability, ranging from 14 g Corg m−2 yr−1 in Morocco to 107 g Corg m−2 yr−1 in the Seychelles. These findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen technical capacity, standardize methodologies, expand regional empirical studies, and integrate local knowledge to fully realize the potential of BCEs in supporting climate mitigation and coastal community resilience in Africa. Consolidating continent-wide dataset through open-access initiatives will be essential to support the integration of BCEs into policy frameworks, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and emerging conservation finance markets.
Keywords
Mangrove, salt marsh, seagrass, sediment accumulation rates, sediment organic carbon
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
6-1-2026
Volume
277
Publication Title
Ocean & Coastal Management
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research / School of Science
Funders
The National Research Foundation of South Africa, through the support of the DSTI/NRF Research Chair in Shallow Water Ecosystems supported JBA and is thanked for funding (UID 84375).
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Adams, J. B., Pattrick, P., Masqué, P., Adotey, D., Ali, E. B., Awatif, A. B. M., Hamouda, M. F. B., Benmansour, M., Charles, J. F., Harlay, J., Human, L., Imbayi, L. K., Ismail, R. O., Machite, A., Mejjad, N., Mfikili, A. N., Mumo, N., Ndeye, M., Panassa, W. E., . . . Hatje, V. (2026). Blue carbon stocks, accumulation rates and knowledge gaps in Africa. Ocean & Coastal Management, 277, 108208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2026.108208