Building Blue Carbon Projects - An Introductory Guide

9 Parting Thoughts Considerable progress has been made in recent years in advancing Blue Carbon science and policy, and demonstration projects are beginning to be implemented worldwide. The groundwork for the viability of Blue Carbon values to be used for improved ecosystem management has been laid through the successes of the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project and other international initiatives. These experiences will continue to advance Blue Carbon globally through the GEF Blue Forests Project and other initiatives. This guide has focused on Blue Carbon from a project development perspective. Using this lens, we have presented a sense of the variety of considerations one may take into account at the onset of project planning, provided insights into essential project  elements  throughout  the  project’s   planning, development, implementation and assessment, and described what a project might look like, including how to best build the capacity of local project managers who will ultimately be responsible for both ensuring project longevity and realising climate change mitigation benefits. This project-based perspective provides future project planners with the opportunity to learn from past trials and experience and build from field-tested experience. This guide also illustrates potential opportunities for using the value of Blue Carbon to mitigate climate change and improve ecosystem management We are still in the nascent stages of Blue Carbon and can confidently estimate that Blue Carbon projects will be shaped and implemented differently, and with different results, across a variety of landscapes and political conditions. We stress that there is no rigid template for a Blue Carbon project and that a flexible approach to project development would be best suited to the varying conditions and objectives of each potential project around the globe. Moving forward, Blue Carbon projects may result in a range of actions, such as the generation of carbon offsets, the policy recognition of ecosystem services, or conservation agreements. Despite the path a project takes, it is hoped that this guide can help to facilitate Blue Carbon projects that harness the climate change mitigation value of a coastal ecosystem and use that value to motivate conservation and sustainable use.

Building Blue Carbon Projects An Introductory Guide

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