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Building Blue Carbon Projects
An Introductory Guide
Coral reefs can be intrinsically connected and related to Blue Carbon habitats and should be considered when
developing Blue Carbon projects. The reef, seagrasses and mangroves pictured from above are located off Ambergris
Caye, Belize (image credit Jason Valdez/Marine Photobank).
A Ridge to Reef Approach for Blue Carbon
Coral reefs are an associated Blue Carbon ecosystem even if they may not be a Blue Carbon sink.
Given the important ecological and ecosystem service connections and linkages between these
habitats, mangroves and seagrasses can be regarded as vital parts of greater coral reef
ecosystems.
The health, abundance, and diversity of the organisms that make a coral reef ecosystem are
directly linked to the surrounding terrestrial and marine environments. The complex root systems
of mangroves help stabilize the shore lines, while filtering runoff and nutrients, protecting coral
reefs from land-based pollution. Their submerged roots and detritus provide nursery, breeding,
and feeding grounds for many animals found on coral reefs. Mangroves have been found to
strongly influence the community structure of fish on neighbouring coral reefs, including a more
than doubling of biomass for several commercially and recreationally valuable species when their
life cycle habitat is connected to mangroves (Mumby
et al
., 2004). Seagrass meadows often form
in lagoon areas between mangrove habitats and coral reefs. They serve as the foundation of many
marine food webs and also provide food and shelter for coral reef associated species. Additionally,
