Many countries have made significant strides in reducing carbon emissions by focusing on forest-based solutions, including reducing deforestation, forest degradation, conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancing forest carbon stocks through the REDD+ framework. This global initiative has provided a solid foundation for addressing climate change through land-use practices that not only mitigate greenhouse gas emissions but also promote biodiversity conservation and improve livelihoods for local communities. The success of these forest carbon initiatives has inspired a growing interest in expanding carbon sequestration efforts to other ecosystems, particularly ocean and coastal habitats, where there is enormous potential for carbon storage in what is known as “blue carbon” (BC).
Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured by ocean and coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses, which are highly efficient at storing carbon in both their biomass and underlying sediments. These ecosystems play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle and could complement the mitigation efforts achieved through REDD+ by offering additional opportunities to sequester carbon. Despite this potential, the uptake of conservation and restoration projects focused on blue carbon has been slow and uneven. While forest carbon initiatives have benefitted from decades of research, policy support, and financing mechanisms, blue carbon projects face a number of unique challenges.
One of the primary difficulties in scaling up blue carbon initiatives is the inherent complexity of working in marine and coastal environments. Unlike terrestrial ecosystems, ocean spaces are more difficult to manage and monitor due to their dynamic nature, which complicates conservation and restoration efforts. Additionally, the science of blue carbon is relatively young compared to forest carbon, and the methodologies for measuring, reporting, and verifying carbon sequestration in marine ecosystems are still evolving. These technical barriers make it harder to develop robust blue carbon projects that can meet the standards required by carbon markets or international climate agreements.
Another significant factor limiting the expansion of blue carbon initiatives is the lack of financing. While REDD+ projects have benefitted from a well-established framework of financial support through mechanisms such as carbon credits and international donor funding, blue carbon initiatives are often underfunded. There is limited access to the financial resources needed to support project development, management, and long-term monitoring. This gap in financing has slowed the progress of blue carbon conservation and restoration, preventing these ecosystems from realizing their full potential as a critical component of global climate mitigation strategies.
In order to overcome these challenges, more attention needs to be given to building the technical capacity and financial infrastructure for blue carbon projects. Drawing on the experience gained from forest carbon initiatives under REDD+, stakeholders can develop tailored approaches for coastal and marine ecosystems that address their unique characteristics. Additionally, expanding financial support through carbon markets, international funds, and public-private partnerships will be crucial for driving the growth of blue carbon initiatives and unlocking the vast potential of ocean-based carbon sequestration.
Despite increasing interest in and attention to BC, a recognition exists that the full potential of coastal and marine habitats in mitigating climate change is far from being realized, and that more could be done to catalyze marine initiatives, both in terms of scaling up existing projects and expansion to new geographies. There are identifiable leverage points to bring BC to scale by assisting countries to incorporate BC habitats into their climate change mitigation strategies, as well as their planning for climate change adaptation and resilience. Likewise there are untapped opportunities to share lessons learned from project development for the carbon market.
Blue carbon remains in a dynamic state of play. Demand for carbon credits is growing in both compliance and voluntary markets, but in fits and starts. Many countries want to feature coastal management as part of integrated planning for sustainable development—both at the global level as guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and at the national level as coastal countries develop and expand their Blue Economies. The Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its 23 targets adds new emphasis on the need to conserve and restore BC ecosystems, not only for their mitigation potential but also because they support much of the world’s biodiversity, either directly or indirectly. The management of coastal ecosystems for climate mitigation appears in several countries’ climate change mitigation plans (known as Nationally-Determined Contributions, or NDCs), and may come to figure prominently in credit schemes under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
These and other drivers increase the demand for BC projects. Meanwhile, the supply of those projects is aided by increasing availability of guidance for designing and executing projects that offer additionality and can therefore generate revenues through carbon credits.
