Impacts of land-use change and urban development on carbon sequestration in tropical seagrass meadow sediments

Seagrass meadows, vital carbon sinks, can experience shifts in their carbon sequestration capacity due to human activities. A study comparing two Zanzibar seagrass meadows—Stone Town and Mbweni—revealed contrasting responses to urban development and mangrove deforestation. Both sites showed a 24–30% increase in organic carbon accumulation since the late 1990s, linked to changes in carbon sources. Stone Town's improved conditions, attributed to sewage outlet relocation, increased seagrass-derived carbon, while Mbweni's decline was tied to mangrove deforestation and terrestrial runoff. This research highlights how land-use changes, such as urbanization and deforestation, can alter coastal carbon storage dynamics, offering insights for managing vegetated coastal ecosystems.

Dahl, M., Ismail, R., Braun, S., Masqué, P., Lavery, P. S., Gullström, M., Arias-Ortiz, A., Asplund, M. E., Garbaras, A., Lyimo, L. D., Mtolera, M. S. P., Serrano, O., Webster, C., & Björk, M. (2022). Impacts of land-use change and urban development on carbon sequestration in tropical seagrass meadow sediments. Marine Environmental Research, 176, 105608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105608