Thanks to their unique traits, these diverse and complex ecosystems can provide extensive benefits to people and nature while taking up proportionally small spaces on the seafloor. Despite covering only around 0.5% of the seafloor, blue carbon ecosystems may account for more than 50% of all carbon buried in marine sediments. These ecosystems are carbon removal powerhouses, storing up to 5 times more carbon per area than tropical forests and absorbing it from the atmosphere about 3 times as quickly, too. “Blue carbon” refers to carbon that is captured from the atmosphere and stored in marine and coastal ecosystems like seagrass meadows, mangroves and tidal marshes. At the same time, however, these ecosystems are being destroyed at a rapid pace if nothing is done to change course, they could disappear globally within a century.īut what exactly is blue carbon? And how can countries and communities better protect these ecosystems and leverage their vast potential? What Is Blue Carbon? Interest and investment in blue carbon as a natural solution is growing worldwide.

These “blue carbon ecosystems” offer a natural solution to remove carbon from the atmosphere, build resilience to mounting climate change impacts and preserve vital biodiverse habitats.

Healthy coastal ecosystems can be a powerful ally in addressing climate, biodiversity and development crises on a global scale. Coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes, provide critical services to people who live near them, from sustaining local diets and fishing industries to protecting homes and infrastructure from erosion and storm damage.īut their benefits aren’t limited to coastal communities.

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