Page
9
Building Blue Carbon Projects
An Introductory Guide
1.3
Global Context of Blue Carbon
Blue Carbon may offer governments and the private sector the possibility to enhance efforts to
meet their commitments and priorities with regards to the environment, sustainable development
and climate change mitigation. Blue Carbon projects can run in concert with and complement
national legal frameworks and policies regarding the management of Blue Carbon ecosystems and
with international efforts and commitments on biodiversity conservation and climate change
mitigation. Examples at the national and international scale are provided in the following:
Consistency with national efforts
Blue Carbon concepts can be readily integrated
with national environmental management
strategies - especially those for protecting and
restoring national biodiversity, ecosystem based
management (EBM), coastal zone management,
and coastal and marine protected area planning.
Blue Carbon can support national efforts
regarding the calculation of natural capital
valuation and determination of values for
compensation purposes by assessing the
valuation of ecosystems services for coastal
environments
Blue Carbon can support national efforts
regarding climate change, including the
promotion of environmental quality and policies and strategies for mitigating and adapting to
climate change and reduce the carbon footprint.
Blue Carbon concepts can support economic stability that is derived from well-managed
coastal resources by conveying the value of those mangroves, seagrass meadows and coastal
marshes to local communities and to national interests, along with maintaining their existing
support for healthy fisheries and stable coastal systems.
Blue Carbon can help meet national goals regarding conservation and sustainable coastal
development, including land use planning nationwide with an emphasis on coastal areas and
the integration of environmental priorities into development programs.
Blue Carbon can improve the livelihoods of local communities by providing both income
opportunities and subsistence resources.
Blue Carbon can be a valuable mechanism to involve the private sector in conservation efforts
through corporate social responsibility schemes (i.e., Plan Vivo Certificates traded on the
voluntary carbon market).
“We strive to inform the higher levels
of government about the scientific
perspectives and the ecological
importance of Blue Carbon
ecosystems. We are making the case
clear to the upper levels of
government that Indonesia needs to
coordinate and take Blue Carbon
further.”
Andreas Hutahaean, PhD
Head of the Research Group on
Blue Carbon, Ministry of Marine
Affairs and Fisheries-Indonesia
