Pacific Regional Blue Carbon Initiative In November 2017, at the UNFCCC COP23 meeting in Bonn, Australia announced a $6 million initiative to support efforts to protect and manage blue carbon ecosystems in the Pacific. 

This initiative aims to strengthen blue carbon expertise and data in the Pacific; support the integration of blue carbon into national greenhouse gas accounting and climate policy; and encourage public and private sector investment in blue carbon restoration and conservation projects.

Blue carbon ecosystems – mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses – capture more carbon per square metre than almost any other ecosystem and play an important role as fisheries breeding grounds and natural buffers against coastal erosion from rising seas. 

Coastal blue carbon ecosystems are important in the Pacific. They have long been recognised for their ability to provide protection from extreme weather events, mitigate against impacts of rising sea levels and provide for food security and sustainable livelihoods. Increasin