A global study identifies the 10 urgent priorities to address to integrate blue carbon into the fight against climate change.

The coasts of our planet, from the Arctic to the tropics, hide an invisible guardian capable of seal in its sediments a CO2 quota that the great rainforests cannot even begin to match. Yet, while the world's attention focuses on terrestrial reforestation and direct carbon capture technologies, a vital heritage of saltwater-drenched roots and submerged grasslands is disappearing.

Political agendas, however, need direction. And reliable, shared data. Therefore, an international study has identified the scientific and practical gaps that are slowing down the use of blue carbon in global efforts to combat climate change, and has identified 10 essential questions for the future of Blue Carbon Ecosystems.

Mangroves, wetlands and other coastal ecosystems: an underestimated heritage

- coastal plant and root ecosystems contribute significantly to carbon sequestration. mangrove forests, for example, grow mainly at tropical latitudes, and occupy a total area of ​​less than 150.000 square kilometers, little more than the size of the island of Java or Greece. Yet, with an estimated burial rate of 174 grams of carbon per square meter, alone account for 3% of global tropical forest carbon sequestration, and absorb 14% of all carbon stored in the ocean – which, it should be remembered, is the planet's main long-term carbon sink.

- blue carbon ecosystems are threatened as much as other marine ecosystems, if not more so: in the last thirty years we have lost about 40% of the total area of ​​mangrove forests, a percentage that exceeds that of tropical rainforests and even coral reefs, and about 15% of the mangrove species analyzed by the IUCN are found in Red List of endangered species.

Mangroves, seagrass meadows and marshes are in effect a undervalued heritage: today, only 20% of the countries that could do so include blue carbon in their national greenhouse gas inventories. And given the storage potential of these ecosystems, this is a substantial gap with respect to the opportunities offered by the Paris Agreement to accelerate the achievement of climate neutrality objectives.

Blue Carbon Ecosystems and the Fight Against Climate Change

Blue carbon is a fairly recent concept. Introduced in 2009 to indicate the carbon captured and stored by coastal plant ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass meadows, the term Blue Carbon It now includes several marine and coastal ecosystems, and is openly cited in climate mitigation policies.

Greenhouse gas inventories and international agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biodiversity formally recognize blue carbon capture as a fundamental benefit in terms of fighting climate change. According to the most recent estimates, in fact, blue carbon ecosystems (or BCE, Blue Carbon Ecosystems) could compensate for the1-3% of anthropogenic emissions global.

Mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows, as well as macroalgal forests and tidal flats, are a fundamental component in mitigating climate change. Therefore, according to scientists, long-term protection and restoration of these ecosystems can have a substantial impact – at least in countries with large coastal wetlands.

In order not to remain on the list of good intentions, however, the conservation of blue carbon ecosystems must be "scalable, credible and fair”. It is therefore necessary first of all to define the scientific challenges and practical limitations that are slowing the ECB's integration into the fight against climate change. An international team of researchers has just published a major study that aims to answer this very question.

An international and shared roadmap for blue carbon

The article aims to provide researchers, practitioners and policy makers with the necessary tools to support the governance of marine and coastal ecosystems with certain data. As the professor explains Peter Mareadie of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, which led the study:

“The industry has rapidly evolved around implementation, governance, and equity, and bringing a broad international group to agreement on what matters most has proven both challenging and deeply rewarding.”

The research, which involved experts from academic, governmental and non-governmental institutions from 16 countries, focused on defining some priority issues that will chart the future direction of blue carbon science.

"The IAEA's support in bringing together 30 scientists from around the world in Vienna was essential for establishing the scientific and technical working group on blue carbon and combining our diverse expertise. This support allowed us to develop a truly international roadmap for blue carbon research."

the professor explained Pere Masque-Barri of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), co-author of the research. This group of experts then identified the ten key issues that will shape the future of blue carbon.

The 10 priorities for the future of blue carbon

From an initial group of 116 contributions, the researchers then extracted the ten most pressing questions to be asked to ensure credible and scalable solutions that are compatible with both technical rigor and practical implementation possibilities. The question with the highest overall score was "How can we manage Blue Carbon Ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities?According to the researchers, this question represents a pivotal point, “as it articulates the challenge of managing blue carbon emissions at scale while preserving the livelihoods of coastal communities.”

Poorly conceived projects, they explain, can inadvertently worsen inequalities if they don't take into account local socioeconomic dynamics. Integrating local knowledge into management strategies is not only beneficial, but necessary. As the study states,

“Sustainable blue carbon management and equitable participation in the blue economy rely on understanding and respecting the management practices of local communities and indigenous peoples.”

As Dr. explains Hannah Morrissette of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, co-author of the research,

“Conserving blue carbon ecosystems for the livelihoods of coastal communities is not just a scientific achievement, but a universal responsibility for all those working in the blue carbon sector.”

Other central issues are those concerning the strengthening of data accuracy and scalability on carbon: policies and market mechanisms require robust evidence. Therefore, we need to understand how to improve estimates of anthropogenic pressures and carbon cycle management in ECBs and what techniques and tools use to do so, but it is also important to know where to start (“which regions and flow types require priority measurements”). Time is running out. The road, however, is well lit.

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