On June 9, 2021, the Blue Marine Foundation held an online conference titled, “Blue Carbon – A New Conservation Frontier?”. In anticipation for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), the goal of the conference was to explore the role of nature-based solutions and oceans in addressing climate change. As the concept of blue carbon continues to gain international recognition, the Blue Marine Foundation acknowledged that there are still fundamental questions to be addressed by the blue carbon community: 1) Can the ocean make a greater contribution to fixing climate change than previously imagined?; 2) If we can devise nature-based solutions to climate change in the sea, where should we begin?; 3) We are protecting marine habitats for biodiversity, but are these the same habitats we should be protecting for carbon-saving?; and 4) Is there a credible way of selling carbon benefits as credits?To address these questions the conference featured 14 speakers and experts, including a number of GEF Blue Forests Project partners: Blue Ventures, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Silvestrum Climate Associates. This post will highlight the opportunities, challenges and potential directions for blue carbon initiatives as presented by each of these organizations.
Blue Carbon: A New Conservation Frontier?
