September 2014: The Blue Carbon Initiative, co-led by Conservation International (CI), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has produced a manual, titled ‘Coastal Blue Carbon: Methods for assessing carbon stocks and emissions factors in mangroves, tidal salt marshes, and seagrass meadows.’

The manual aims to provide scientists, coastal managers and field practitioners with a tool that measures carbon stocks in coastal and marine ecosystems, with the ultimate objective of producing blue carbon data that allows decision makers to take the necessary actions to conserve coastal ecosystems and their functions.

Mangroves, tidal salt marshes and seagrasses sequester and store coastal blue carbon and play an important role in mitigating climate change. However, countries have yet to incorporate coastal blue carbon into their mitigation and coastal management policies and programmes, largely due to a lack of well-defined or standardized mechanisms for its assessment. However, despite their benefits and services, these ecosystems are threatened, with an estimated 67% of the mangrove range, 35% of tidal salt marshes, and 29% of seagrasses already lost. An additional 30-40% of tidal marshes and seagrasses and nearly all unprotected mangroves could be lost in the next 100 years if current trends continue.

The manual: describes the rationale for measuring blue carbon, as well as approaches for data analysis and reporting; introduces the role of blue carbon in climate change mitigation; outlines preparation of a robust field measurement plan; provides guidance for measuring organic carbon stocks in mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows; looks at methods for assessing changes in carbon stocks over time and monitoring emissions; overviews remote sensing options and applications; and discusses how to manage large data sets and data sharing.

Thirty-four experts in the fields of coastal carbon measurement, remote sensing and climate policy assisted in producing the manual. [UNESCO Press Release] [Publication: Coastal Blue Carbon: Methods for Assessing Carbon Stocks and Emissions Factors in Mangroves, Tidal Salt Marshes, and Seagrass Meadows]