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Building Blue Carbon Projects
An Introductory Guide
6
Blue Carbon Capacity Building
As the Blue Carbon concept builds momentum, one of the central activities for project
consideration is the capacity of local communities, scientists, and policy makers interested in and
engaged in Blue Carbon activities and projects. This will help ensure that once project developers
become far removed, the local capacity exists to carry-on project activities such as carbon
monitoring and evaluation, and that the project continues to deliver benefits over the long-term.
Blue Carbon projects offer a wide range of capacity building opportunities for many parties from
community members, to students, to local and regional scientists to environmental managers and
policy makers.
The following quotes illustrate the national and international experiences in Blue Carbon capacity
building provided by the Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demonstration Project. The project represented a
milestone in Blue Carbon by bringing together a team of national and international students,
environmental managers, scientists and other professionals, and has helped enhance capacity in
the UAE, Madagascar and Indonesia.
“Being part of this project will enhance my
future career and is a great experience to
be involved in an international study of
mangrove and other habitat here in Abu
Dhabi.”
Fatima Al Marzooqi, Student
Zayed University, UAE
“It is a great opportunity to meet with
scientists in Abu Dhabi and ask about
methodologies for Blue Carbon that I use
with my team at home in Madagascar. This
experience will help safeguard the
ecological goods and services critical to
increasingly poor and vulnerable Malagasy
coastal
communities,
while
also
safeguarding critical biodiversity.”
Lalao Aigrette, Senior Mangrove Scientist
Blue Ventures, Madagascar
Mangrove sediment coring in Abu Dhabi.
