Amazon and Conservation International announced today the establishment of the International Blue Carbon Institute. The Institute will help mitigate climate change and protect coastal communities by supporting the restoration and protection of coastal blue carbon ecosystems in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses and tidal marshes. These ecosystems sequester and store large quantities of carbon in both the plants and the sediment below, and due to this are recognised as an essential part of the solution to global climate change.
The International Blue Carbon Institute will be housed in Singapore and will focus on supporting Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands in realising their immense blue carbon potential. Southeast Asia holds over one-third of the world’s mangrove forests, however, the greatest loss of mangrove forest has also occurred in this region. In Asia through to the Pacific Islands, coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise and stronger storms. Blue carbon ecosystems fortify communities against climate effects while providing fresh water, supporting biodiversity, and other natural benefits.
The International Blue Carbon Institute, with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board, will serve as a knowledge hub to build capacity, expertise, standards and methodology to develop and scale urgently needed blue carbon projects.