Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

1.2 The Need for Blue Carbon

Despite the many important ecosystem services they provide, Blue Carbon ecosystems are quickly disappearing across the globe. It is estimated that 67 percent of global mangrove habitat has been lost (Murray et al ., 2011) and the annual rate of their degradation and destruction is occurring at 0.7% to 2.1% for mangrove forests, 1% to 2% for saltwater marshes, and 1.2% to 2% for seagrass meadows (Murray et al ., 2012). If this rate continues, it is estimated that 30 to 40% of saltwater marshes and seagrasses and nearly 100% of mangroves could be lost in the next 100 years (Pendleton et al ., 2012). Often mangroves are drained and converted for agricultural uses or for shellfish aquaculture. Overexploitation of mangrove timber, terrestrial logging and agricultural activities upstream and coastal development are also drivers for habitat loss. Saltwater marsh ecosystems have been long converted for agricultural use or lost to coastal development, and are increasingly under pressure from sea level rise. Seagrass meadows are threatened worldwide with impacts

"Coastal communities and island states with coastal and marine ecosystems rich in Blue Carbon need support from the international community to evaluate the contribution these make towards carbon sequestration at the national level. Once the value per country is known, governments will be in a stronger position to make a case to protect these ecosystems and garner support for these carbon stocks to be included in the carbon trading mechanism. Without knowledge of the true value of Blue Carbon  stored within a  country’s EEZ and   without the necessary financial and technical support Blue Carbon ecosystems, as important as they are, will remain undervalued and threatened by development." Professor Rolph Payet Minister of Environment and Energy Republic of Seychelles

including coastal development and agriculture that generate pollutant- and sediment-heavy run- off, and dredging and construction activities. When Blue Carbon ecosystems are degraded, their formerly submerged soils and roots can become exposed, causing the carbon within them to become oxidized to greenhouse gasses (Pendleton et al ., 2012). Worldwide, the degradation and loss of these ecosystems presents a crucial need to take action toward effectively managing remaining Blue Carbon ecosystems and where possible, to restore what has been lost. This is important to the coastal communities in the vicinities of these ecosystems, mangroves and tidal marshes in particular, where economic livelihoods are closely linked to ecosystem health. Although a comparatively young field, research has already quantified the importance of Blue Carbon ecosystems, and their greenhouse gas dynamics are now better understood. Payment for ecosystem services schemes such as carbon offsets in both the regulatory and voluntary market provide a central incentive for Blue Carbon ecosystem conservation and restoration, as do other mechanisms including compensation funds, national carbon accounting and reporting, and the green economy approach. Ecosystem services beyond carbon sequestration and storage may give further value to ecosystems and positively contribute to management frameworks and actions.

Building Blue Carbon Projects An Introductory Guide

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