Mangroves in the State of Qatar: Influences and adaptations of climate change

• Mangroves in Qatar adapt to arid, high-salinity, and extreme temperatures. • Mangroves in Qatar sequester significant carbon despite a hypersaline climate. • Coastal development and climate change threaten Qatar’s mangrove ecosystems. • Qatar has implemented extensive mangrove restoration and protection plans. • Future studies on climate change impacts on Qatar mangroves are crucial. Mangroves are vital ecosystems that provide ecological and economic services, playing a crucial role in regulating biogeochemical processes in the context of climate change. In Qatar, they thrive due to their resilience to extreme conditions such as high temperature, low rainfall, dust storms, strong winds and hypersaline seawater. This review article focuses on Qatar’s mangroves-their spatial distribution, socio-economic and environmental importance, climate change impacts, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem services. Literature was sourced from peer-reviewed articles, reports from Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality & Environment, and other related sources. Avicennia marina is the only species, found along the Qatar coast. Key findings include the expansion of mangrove coverage from 798.6 ha in 2014 to 1178.3 ha in 2021, primarily due to successful afforestation efforts. However, spatial distribution has fluctuated, with a decline in Al Khor after 1990, likely due to Gulf War oil spills. Carbon stocks were 45.70 ± 3.70 Mg C ha⁻¹, with soil carbon storage of 35.52 ± 2.88 Mg C ha⁻¹ to 0.5 m depth. Recorded leaf litter production was recorded at 1.81 ± 0.09 g m² d⁻¹. Despite these trends, Qatar’s mangroves face risks from rising temperature, increasing salinity and sea level rise (SLR), with projections indicating a 34-45% loss of area by 2050. This review underscores the importance of continued restoration, integrating blue carbon into Qatar’s climate strategy, and focusing future research on sea level rise and climate change impacts to guide restoration and protection efforts.