Science Talk: There is climate value in S-E Asia’s protected areas, but we’re failing to use it

SINGAPORE – Across South-east Asia’s coastlines, nature is quietly delivering climate action at a scale we have yet to appreciate fully.

Mangroves and seagrasses, frequently overshadowed by tropical rainforests, capture carbon at roughly twice the rate of their terrestrial counterparts. The Indo-Pacific hosts 37 per cent of the world’s mangroves and 23 per cent of its seagrasses – global climate assets of extraordinary importance. 

When left intact, this “blue carbon” remains stored for millennia, making these ecosystems some of the most effective natural climate solutions we have.

Yet ASEAN’s vast blue carbon wealth remains largely unrecognised, undervalued and underprotected. 

Mangrove forests and seagrass meadows are not only biodiversity strongholds but also essential natural infrastructure. They protect coastlines, support livelihoods, and strengthen climate resilience. 

Beyond absorbing carbon, these ecosystems shield shorelines from erosion and storm surge, reduce flood risks, support fisheries that feed millions and sustain coastal economies through ecotourism. 

Seagrass meadows in the Indo-Pacific alone are estimated to sequester carbon worth up to US$250 million (S$321.5 million) annually. But like any asset, they retain their value only when properly managed. 

Unlocking their full value requires a fundamental shift in how we manage and safeguard our coasts. 

When we fail to protect them, we forfeit substantial climate benefits that countries could be accounting for in their national climate strategies.

The reality on the ground is sobering. More than two-thirds of mangroves, one-third of salt marshes and nearly one-third of seagrass meadows have already been lost globally. Within ASEAN, over a third of mangroves were lost between 1980 and 2020.

Their destruction does not merely eliminate future carbon capture – it also releases centuries of stored carbon into the atmosphere, increasing national emissions profiles at the very moment countries are striving to reduce them. 

Preventing this loss through strong conservation efforts offers far higher returns than attempting restoration after ecosystems collapse.

Yet financing still favours restoration over protection, despite the far greater climate value preserved when ecosystems remain intact.

These trends are especially concerning because many blue carbon ecosystems already lie within protected and conserved areas. Yet, they continue to decline. 

As blue carbon is rarely integrated into management plans or monitoring frameworks, its value goes unmeasured, unreported and ultimately unclaimed. 

As a result, mangroves and seagrasses in these zones often receive little management directly targeting ecosystem health and blue carbon conservation, even though they are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems in the landscape.

We are protecting the place, but not the potential.

Much of this stems from how protected areas were originally conceived: primarily for biodiversity and resource conservation. 

Their role in climate mitigation and adaptation, especially their carbon value, was seldom considered, resulting in blue carbon becoming one of the region’s most overlooked climate gaps. 

This disconnect is stark, given the multiple benefits these ecosystems provide. They are, quite literally, life-support systems for communities across ASEAN. Allowing them to degrade, particularly within protected boundaries, is a missed climate, social and economic opportunity.

A course correction is urgently needed. 

Decision-makers must strengthen existing coastal and marine protected areas to ensure blue carbon ecosystems are actively managed, monitored and maintained. 

But we must go further: ASEAN also needs to identify and bring additional mangrove and seagrass ecosystems under protection, especially those currently unprotected but vital for coastal resilience and climate mitigation. 

This is the mission of Conservation International through the International Blue Carbon Institute, and South-east Asia is uniquely positioned to lead. 

Today, marine protected areas cover only 3.5 per cent of the Indo-Pacific coastline – a fraction of what is required to secure these ecosystems’ climate value.

Expanding and strengthening protection requires stronger local capacity, dedicated funding and broader public and political awareness of blue carbon’s role.

In March, policy leaders and park managers from across ASEAN met in Singapore as part of a targeted International Blue Carbon Institute workshop for blue carbon. 

The workshop was hosted with Singapore’s National Parks Board and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, and was supported by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Sustainability Action Programme.

The event brought together representatives from eight ASEAN countries to discuss blue carbon integration into regional marine protection, including scientists, policymakers and park managers.

Discussions highlighted how protecting mangroves and seagrasses must become a regional priority, and momentum must translate into concrete policies and management reforms.

The window for meaningful intervention is closing, and every year of inaction represents lost climate value that cannot be recovered.

Effective protection begins with understanding and measuring blue carbon accurately. 

When countries can quantify the climate benefits their coastal ecosystems provide, they can integrate this value into national planning, attract finance and justify stronger conservation policies. Evidence drives action and safeguards.

By embedding blue carbon science into protected area management, ASEAN’s parks can evolve from biodiversity sanctuaries into powerful climate shields – protecting communities, sustaining fisheries and supporting local economies. 

More importantly, they can finally deliver the immense climate value they are capable of.

South-east Asia’s coasts are among nature’s greatest climate allies. It is time we recognised their worth, protected what we have and expanded protection to what we have overlooked – before these opportunities slip away.