Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

associated ecosystem. Along tidal margins of coastal sabkha where soils are consistently moist, algal  (cyanobacterial)  ‘leather-like’  and moist mats are formed, with a laminated fabric of up to tens of centimetres. Algal mats were found to store significant amounts of carbon, and present a ‘candidate’ Blue Carbon ecosystem to be studied further. A team of policy and finance experts consulted extensively with stakeholders from over 20 local and national institutions, agencies, and organizations, to learn how Blue Carbon ecosystems were valued in the Emirate and identify which avenues were most attractive and feasible for conservation. The project team recommends the following three options to Abu Dhabi that would support the recognition and protection of Blue Carbon ecosystems and the services they provide in the Emirate.

1. Abu Dhabi could include the ecosystems in their Greenhouse Gas Inventories and reporting to UNFCC. 2. Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) offer opportunities to improve the management of these ecosystems, and high service delivery sites in particular. 3. The conservation and creation of Blue Carbon ecosystems could be supported through a dedicated Specialised Fund that would be supported through offset funds from developers in coastal and marine areas. The generation of carbon credits through a certification project was considered unattractive due to challenges over the financial net benefit as well as eligibility considerations.

“Mangroves, along with  the  coastal   ecosystem are key to maintained and improved sustainability of our Emirate. The Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project is an invaluable initiative, not only for the duration of the project but beyond. The experience and knowledge gained from this local project will help pave the way for other national Blue Carbon projects and international efforts for a greener economy and natural climate change mitigation.”

H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak Secretary General, Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD)

The project has been presented to many local, regional and international parties and been recognized as a featured intervention of the GEF Blue Forests Project, a major global UNEP initiative. Significant results to-date includes the following: The Emirate of Dubai will be utilising  the  project’s  methodology  and  ecosystem  services   habitat protocols for carrying out similar assessments; The Northern Emirates, especially two important sites may be incorporated into future AGEDI Blue Carbon work; Project  findings  have  been  incorporated  into Abu Dhabi’s National  Biodiversity  Strategies  and   Action Plans (NBSAP) report; Project findings have been incorporated into Abu Dhabi’s Environmental Performance Index (AD-EPI) report; Project findings have been incorporated into Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) business planning towards the Climate Change programme;

Building Blue Carbon Projects An Introductory Guide

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