Washington DC – April 11, 2011 – Drainage and degradation of
coastal wetlands emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide
directly to the atmosphere and lead to decreased carbon
sequestration, a new World Bank report has found. The report,
written in partnership with the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and wetland specialists ESA PWA,
calls for coastal wetlands to be protected and incentives for
avoiding their degradation and improving their restoration to be
included into carbon emission reduction strategies and in
climate negotiations. “For the first time we are getting a sense
that greenhouse gas losses from drained and degraded coastal
wetlands may be globally significant and that drained organic-
rich soils continuously release carbon for decades,” says
Stephen Crooks,Climate Change Services Director at ESA PWA - the
consulting firm which looked at 15 coastal deltas worldwide for
the report. “Emissions will increase with ongoing wetland
losses.” The report highlights thecurrent ra