WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
Across five stand ages from 12 to 44 years on six coastal islands, Sonneratia apetala plantations showed highest vegetation and total ecosystem carbon density in the oldest stands, while soil organic carbon followed a unimodal pattern and peaked in 26-year-old stands. Older stands also shifted more belowground carbon into deeper soil layers.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Blue-carbon trajectories depend on which carbon pool and soil depth are measured. A single age–carbon curve can therefore hide redistribution among vegetation and soil pools, which matters for monitoring protocols and claims about restoration performance.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
This is a chronosequence rather than repeated long-term measurement of the same stands, and it focuses on one planted mangrove species. Carbon storage alone does not establish biodiversity recovery or broader restoration success.
SOURCE
Environmental Research · Original evidence
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