this view, noting that climate will have serious implications on the availability of
arable land and freshwater. In addition, Africa’s vulnerability to the impacts of
climate change is worsened by its comparatively low adaptive capacity.
24 Consequently, climate change will have direct impacts on food provisioning services on
the continent,
25 which is a problem for soil governance because the maintenance of
the provisioning services provided by soil is one of the elements of sustainable soil
management. As an ecosystem asset, soil provides an additional ecosystem service
through carbon capture, such as through mangrove ecosystems.
26
Mangrove forests, occurring between the high and low water marks along many
coastlines, as well as seagrasses, are important to carbon capture and climate
regulation The role of mangroves (and other aquatic ecosystems) as carbon sinks
is commonly referred to as blue carbon.
27 Although they occupy less than 2% of the
world’s ocean surface area, blue carbon ecosystems are estimated to bury nearly
10% of the yearly estimated organic carbon burial in the oceans.
28 In real terms,
mangroves have a mean whole-ecosystem carbon stock of 956 tons of carbon per
hectare compared with 241 tons of carbon per hectare, for rain forests.
29
Unlike many terrestrial systems that store organic primarily in living biomass,
vegetated coastal ecosystems store much of their organic carbon stocks in the soil
sediments, which may produce carbon sinks of hundreds to thousands of years age.
30
Regardless of forest size therefore, soils constitute the largest carbon pool, with
the percentage of the total soil pool varying from 44% for rain forests to 70% for peat
swamps, 75% for mangroves, and over 90% for marshes and seagrasses.
31 However,
this stored organic carbon risks being released back to the atmosphere when blue
carbon ecosystems are degraded.
32
Even with the importance of soils in climate regulation clear, the continuing
pollution of soil from economic activities and other sources (such as chemical
fertilizers and pesticides) will lower resilience of African soils increases the vulnerability of these soils to climate change impact. Yet production processes continue to
generate significant chemical releases, waste and hazardous waste to the soil.
33
UNEA-3 Resolution 3/6 acknowledged this noting that while soils are known to
be an essential element for climate change mitigation and resilience, soil pollution
leads to a reduction in soil biological activity therefore reducing the capacity of soil
24 UNEP (2016) GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa, p. 111.
25 UNEP (2016) GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa, p. 112.
26 UNEP (2016) GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa, p. 105.
27 IUCN (2016) National Blue Carbon Policy Assessment Framework.
28 Githaiga et al. (2017).
29 Alongi (2014).
30 Githaiga et al. (2017).
31 Alongi (2014), p. 199.
32 Githaiga et al. (2017), p. 1.
33 UNEA (2019) Global Chemicals Outlook II: summary for policymakers - UNEP/EA.4/21, p. 8.
In Salvation of African Soils: Exploring the Window of Opportunity. . .
19
arable land and freshwater. In addition, Africa’s vulnerability to the impacts of
climate change is worsened by its comparatively low adaptive capacity.
24 Consequently, climate change will have direct impacts on food provisioning services on
the continent,
25 which is a problem for soil governance because the maintenance of
the provisioning services provided by soil is one of the elements of sustainable soil
management. As an ecosystem asset, soil provides an additional ecosystem service
through carbon capture, such as through mangrove ecosystems.
26
Mangrove forests, occurring between the high and low water marks along many
coastlines, as well as seagrasses, are important to carbon capture and climate
regulation The role of mangroves (and other aquatic ecosystems) as carbon sinks
is commonly referred to as blue carbon.
27 Although they occupy less than 2% of the
world’s ocean surface area, blue carbon ecosystems are estimated to bury nearly
10% of the yearly estimated organic carbon burial in the oceans.
28 In real terms,
mangroves have a mean whole-ecosystem carbon stock of 956 tons of carbon per
hectare compared with 241 tons of carbon per hectare, for rain forests.
29
Unlike many terrestrial systems that store organic primarily in living biomass,
vegetated coastal ecosystems store much of their organic carbon stocks in the soil
sediments, which may produce carbon sinks of hundreds to thousands of years age.
30
Regardless of forest size therefore, soils constitute the largest carbon pool, with
the percentage of the total soil pool varying from 44% for rain forests to 70% for peat
swamps, 75% for mangroves, and over 90% for marshes and seagrasses.
31 However,
this stored organic carbon risks being released back to the atmosphere when blue
carbon ecosystems are degraded.
32
Even with the importance of soils in climate regulation clear, the continuing
pollution of soil from economic activities and other sources (such as chemical
fertilizers and pesticides) will lower resilience of African soils increases the vulnerability of these soils to climate change impact. Yet production processes continue to
generate significant chemical releases, waste and hazardous waste to the soil.
33
UNEA-3 Resolution 3/6 acknowledged this noting that while soils are known to
be an essential element for climate change mitigation and resilience, soil pollution
leads to a reduction in soil biological activity therefore reducing the capacity of soil
24 UNEP (2016) GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa, p. 111.
25 UNEP (2016) GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa, p. 112.
26 UNEP (2016) GEO-6 Regional Assessment for Africa, p. 105.
27 IUCN (2016) National Blue Carbon Policy Assessment Framework.
28 Githaiga et al. (2017).
29 Alongi (2014).
30 Githaiga et al. (2017).
31 Alongi (2014), p. 199.
32 Githaiga et al. (2017), p. 1.
33 UNEA (2019) Global Chemicals Outlook II: summary for policymakers - UNEP/EA.4/21, p. 8.
In Salvation of African Soils: Exploring the Window of Opportunity. . .
19