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Building Blue Carbon Projects
An Introductory Guide
Introduction and Context
Blue Carbon is a term used to describe the climate change mitigation benefits of preserving,
protecting, and restoring coastal habitats such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and
saltwater marshes (Nellemann
et al
., 2009). Blue Carbon is a recent concept that joins the fields of
marine and coastal management and climate change science. This text considers a Blue Carbon
project as one that uses the climate change mitigation value of marine and coastal ecosystems to
support their conservation, sustainable use, and restoration. All Blue Carbon projects are
essentially ‘new’ and can present a complex and daunting endeavour for project implementers,
whether they are from governments, civil society, or the private sector. Demonstrating Blue
Carbon and implementing project results are challenging goals as they go beyond business as
usual in order to create and understand and secure carbon and coastal ecosystem benefits.
This introductory guide, a product of the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project, aims to
stimulate discussion regarding projects that support the conservation and restoration of coastal
ecosystems based on a Blue Carbon approach. It serves as a snapshot of potential common Blue
Carbon project elements based on existing projects and an introduction of key issues for
consideration. This guide is intended to complement existing Blue Carbon materials and reports
(many of which links are provided for throughout this text) and potentially stimulate subsequent
guides that will support Blue Carbon project development.
Many questions are raised when discussing potential Blue Carbon projects with national
representatives and other interested parties. Dispersed throughout the text are some responses
to one of the most common questions, which, though simple, can be difficult to answer - why is
Blue Carbon important?
Target audience
The target audience of this introductory guide is the range of potential project proponents
interested in applying Blue Carbon values through the development of Blue Carbon projects to
mitigate climate change and support coastal ecosystem management to enhance natural resource
values. Such proponents might include government officials in relevant Ministries and Agencies,
universities, project development professionals and managers, and private sector representatives
who may be looking for opportunities to strengthen their corporate social responsibility initiatives.
What this report is not
This introductory guide is not intended as a prescriptive ‘manual’ or ‘template’ for Blue Carbon
projects. It is still early days for application of the Blue Carbon concept, so there is much to learn
and one project type will never fit all settings. Individual projects will necessarily conform to
unique national settings and priorities, including ecological, social, and political conditions,
geographic context, availability of funding, and other factors.
