A new study using satellite data from 50 Chinese coastal cities found that marshes expanded nearly sevenfold and mangroves quadrupled in restored areas between 2015 and 2023. The recovery followed China's Marine Eco-environmental Restoration Program, which spent over $7 billion on 81 projects covering 200,000 acres of former fish-farming ground. The restored habitats now capture an estimated 73,000 tons of carbon per year, nearly double the previous rate. That is about nine percent of the carbon absorbed along China's entire coastline. The annual value of ecosystem services like storm protection and fish nurseries rose from $5.7 billion to $8.1 billion, with benefits outpacing costs by four to six times over five to ten years. The shift from hardened concrete shoreline to natural coastline also improved resilience. Hardened fish farm walls dropped from 240 miles to 76 miles. The study shows that large-scale restoration can deliver measurable climate and economic returns when projects are connected into larger systems.
