Publication Name

Blue Carbon - The Role of Healthy Oceans in Binding Carbon

A new Rapid Response Assessment report released 14 October

2009 at the Diversitas Conference, Cape Town Conference Centre,

South Africa. Compiled by experts at GRID-Arendal and UNEP in

collaboration with the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)

and the UNESCO International Oceanographic Commissions and

other institutions, the report highlights the critical role of the oceans

and ocean ecosystems in maintaining our climate and in assisting

policy makers to mainstream an oceans agenda into national and

international climate change initiatives.

Already in the forefront of the UNFCCC COP15 in Copenhagen the knowledge about the oceans enormous

capacity to store carbon with its coastal habitats of mangroves, sea grasses and salt marshes (now called

“blue carbon”; colouring carbon is a term introduced by GA) had spread fast all over the world. Meanwhile

hundred of thousands of citations can be found on the Internet. And key States related to the climate

discussion, such as India and the United States, have expressed major interest to look for ways to protect

these habitats. It became a main theme within UNEP and stood at the centre of the discussions at UNEP’s

Special Session of the Governing Council (GCSS XI) in Bali. If this report in the future can be seen as the

starting point of major initiatives to protect “blue carbon” it will have a major impact. In particular, the

protection and increase of mangroves in developing coastal countries will have a huge positive impact on the

climate, biodiversity, fishery, coastal protection, tourism and hence may even play a role in poverty

alleviation. The establishment of an international “Blue Carbon Fund” (comparable with REDD for the “Green

Carbon) to secure the implementation of increased mangrove protection would be another major impact

linked to this publication.

The

Environmental Food Crisis: The Environment's Role in Averting Future Food Crises

www.grida.no/publications/rr/food-crisis/

This publication achieved a high level of recognition resulting in a

significant level of impact. The phrase “environmental food crisis”

was not in common use prior to the publication. Today’s “google”

search produces more than 55 million hits. The need for linking the

food crisis (the top 2008 theme of the UN and an issue of global

concern), to concrete environmental measures has at least raised

the awareness of the masses. If this awareness results in concrete

implementation of the recommendations outlined in the publication,

then a clear and measurable link could be made to the report.

As previously mentioned under the “Effectiveness” section the

approach adopted leading to the production following publication

resulted in the successful implementation of capacity building in

Uganda: