Carbon Sequestration Service of a Ramsar Site: A Conservation-Role Model for Defying Developmental Pressure in the Middle of a Rapidly Expanding City

Mangroves in coastal cities are under threat due to development pressures. However, mangrove ecosystems can serve as a potential carbon sink for miti-gating the impacts of climate change. The main objective of this study was to estimate the carbon sequestration potential of mangroves in the Al-Qurm natural reserve, Muscat, Oman. The reserve was classified into three distinct zones and was estimated through field measurement and remote sensing techniques. The study found that each zone sequesters varying levels of carbon. The highest mean carbon stock was measured in the landward zone (20.2 ± 0.3 kg∙C/m 2 ), followed by the middle zone (8.7 ± 0.4 kg∙C/m 2 ) and seaward zone (5.8 ± 0.8 kg∙C/m 2 ), respectively. The carbon sequestration rate of the sediment range was between 5.0 g C/m 2 ∙year - 12.5 g C/m 2 ∙year. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from above-ground biomass showed a positive relationship (r = 0.73) with biomass measured in the field. However, the average above-ground carbon was underestimated (6.3 kg∙C/m 2 ) than the above-ground field measurement (7.0 kg∙C/m 2 ). This 0.82 km 2 of the natural reserve was estimated to sequester approximately 9512 tonnes of carbon equivalent to 0.035 Mt of CO 2 e. This highlights the importance of conserving this natural reserve, despite a growing demand for land use in and around the reserve for development needs.