Integrating Multiple Ecosystem Services into Mangrove Management: Evidence Synthesis and Insights from Emerging Habitats in Jeju Island (Korea)

Mangroves are increasingly positioned at the centre of “blue carbon” strategies, yet carbon-centric planning can obscure the broader ecosystem service (ES) bundle that underpins coastal resilience, biodiversity outcomes, and social legitimacy. We synthesize how multiple mangrove ES are studied alongside carbon sequestration and discuss implications for regions that may become suitable for mangroves under climate change, with a brief connection to ongoing coastal forest research on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.
We searched Web of Science using “mangrove*”, “blue carbon”, and “carbon”, screened 813 records, and analysed 423 site-based studies. Each study was coded by country, research approach (experiment, observation, modelling, remote sensing, secondary synthesis, survey/interview, and policy analysis), and ES classes using the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES v4.3). Research effort was geographically uneven across 59 countries (plus global multi-region studies), and study effort increased with national mangrove extent (Spearman ρ = 0.53, p < 0.0001), indicating that evidence is concentrated where mangroves already dominate coastal landscapes.
Multi-service integration was limited: only ~22% of studies investigated more than one ES, restricting insight into synergies and trade-offs required for robust management and safeguards. Regulating services dominated the co-assessments with carbon sequestration, most commonly nutrient cycling, soil formation, and coastal protection. Provisioning services (e.g., fishing and biomass) and cultural services (e.g., recreation) were studied less frequently. Critically, stakeholder engagement remained minimal, only ~5% of studies incorporated perspectives from local communities, policymakers, or other relevant groups, highlighting a gap between biophysical evidence and decision pathways that govern implementation, equity, and long-term maintenance.
These evidence gaps are increasingly consequential under climate-driven poleward expansion. Jeju Island is a subtropical - temperate transition zone where true mangroves are not yet established, but semi-mangrove species (e.g., *Hibiscus hamabo* and *Paliurus ramosissimus*) occur within coastal shrub, forest mosaics and provide regulating and habitat functions comparable to widely cited mangrove co-benefits. Current monitoring by the National Institute of Forest Science is structuring protocols that jointly quantify vegetation structure and composition, plant physiological performance, and carbon pools (aboveground biomass and soil carbon), while also documenting co-benefits relevant to coastal hazard buffering and biodiversity conservation.
We conclude that mangrove planning, especially in future-suitable regions, should shift from single-metric carbon optimisation to a multifunctional ES framework supported by harmonised monitoring and early stakeholder integration to anticipate trade-offs and maximise durable climate, biodiversity, and livelihood outcomes.
This research was conducted at the Warm-Temperate and Subtropical Forest Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science (Project No. FE-2022-04-2025).