Joint media release: Australia joins International Mangrove Alliance for Climate

The Hon Chris Bowen MP, Minister for Climate Change and Energy
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water

Australia will join the Mangrove Alliance for Climate further strengthening the country’s global leadership on climate action and blue carbon.

The Alliance aims to increase and accelerate conservation, restoration and plantation efforts of mangrove ecosystems to help combat climate change and support adaption.

Australia’s announcement that it would join other nations in protecting and restoring mangroves came after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched the initiative at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. The Alliance is a joint UAE and Indonesia initiative.

The goal of the Alliance is to increase the global area of mangrove habitat by 20 per cent by the year 2030.

Mangroves absorb significant amounts of carbon and can be a key contributor to global action on climate change.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in September endorsed the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature that is a reinvigorated approach for strong action on biodiversity loss and climate change.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Australia was proud to be part of the Alliance.

“Australia recognises the crucial role mangroves can play in global climate change mitigation and also the broad benefits they bring in climate resilience, biodiversity, tourism, indigenous communities and job opportunities.

“Australia is home to some of the world’s most significant mangrove stocks, and we want to be a world leader in efforts to protect and restore them.”

At the UN Oceans Conference earlier this year Minister Tanya Plibersek announced Australia will help restore blue carbon ecosystems across Australia, including mangroves, by investing $9.5 million to support five new practical restoration projects.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said it was vital that nations worked together on preserving these fragile habitats.

“Mangroves provide habitats for countless animal species, reduce coastal flooding and even improve water quality.

“They are some of the world’s most valuable ecosystems but they are at serious risk.

“We have a responsibility to protect these fragile ecosystems and help them to thrive long into the future.

“These ecosystems are significantly better at storing carbon than terrestrial forests.

“The Australian Bureau of Statistics have estimated that in 2021 Australia’s mangroves and seagrass sequestered over 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. This amount of carbon sequestered is equivalent to the amount emitted by over 4 million cars.”