Pakistan’s mangrove carbon market: $20m to $50m annual potential unlocked

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday stated that Pakistan hosted the largest contiguous arid mangrove forest in South Asia, primarily located in the Indus Delta region of Sindh, which has the potential to generate annual revenue of $20–50 million depending on market prices and volume.

In a message on the occasion of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, the minister said Sindh’s Delta Blue Carbon project, covering over 350,000 hectares, has already generated $40 million in carbon credit sales and projects to generate billions over the coming decades.

“Given Balochistan’s significantly smaller mangrove area cover about 4,058 hectares and similar carbon sequestration value per hectare, its annual potential would be proportionally less but still meaningful as part of Pakistan’s broader carbon market strategy”, he added.

The Delta Blue Carbon (DBC) project is a public-private partnership between the Government of Sindh and Indus Delta Capital, launched in 2015. It aims to restore and protect mangrove forests across more than 3,500 square kilometers of the Indus Delta.

Highlighting the project’s global significance, the minister noted that millions of carbon credits are being generated through mangrove forests in Sindh’s coastal belt. “Mangroves absorb four times more carbon compared to ordinary trees,” he said, underlining their unmatched value in climate mitigation.

“We are successfully implementing mangrove rehabilitation programs in Sindh and Balochistan, and these coastal forests are proving to be a vital natural shield against shoreline erosion and flooding,” he noted.

The minister said future of our fisheries, coastal tourism, and sustainable resource management is deeply connected with the health of mangrove ecosystems as their decline, conversely, threatens the foundations of these vital sectors and the well being of coastal communities.