Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

6 Blue Carbon Capacity Building As the Blue Carbon concept builds momentum, one of the central activities for project consideration is the capacity of local communities, scientists, and policy makers interested in and engaged in Blue Carbon activities and projects. This will help ensure that once project developers become far removed, the local capacity exists to carry-on project activities such as carbon monitoring and evaluation, and that the project continues to deliver benefits over the long-term. Blue Carbon projects offer a wide range of capacity building opportunities for many parties from community members, to students, to local and regional scientists to environmental managers and policy makers. The following quotes illustrate the national and international experiences in Blue Carbon capacity building provided by the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project. The project represented a milestone in Blue Carbon by bringing together a team of national and international students, environmental managers, scientists and other professionals, and has helped enhance capacity in the UAE, Madagascar and Indonesia.

“Being  part  of  this  project will  enhance my   future career and is a great experience to be involved in an international study of mangrove and other habitat here in Abu Dhabi.”

Fatima Al Marzooqi, Student Zayed University, UAE

“It  is  a  great  opportunity  to  meet  with   scientists in Abu Dhabi and ask about methodologies for Blue Carbon that I use with my team at home in Madagascar. This experience will help safeguard the ecological goods and services critical to increasingly poor and vulnerable Malagasy coastal communities, while also safeguarding  critical biodiversity.”

Lalao Aigrette, Senior Mangrove Scientist Blue Ventures, Madagascar

Mangrove sediment coring in Abu Dhabi.

Building Blue Carbon Projects An Introductory Guide

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