6 December 2015: The Governments of Australia, Costa Rica and Indonesia launched an International Partnership for Blue Carbon at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), which convened on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference. The partnership aims to increase understanding of and accelerate action on the role of blue carbon ecosystems in action on climate change, including both adaptation and mitigation.

Australia’s Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, announced the partnership in his remarks at the GLF, which convened from 5-6 December in Paris, France. He described the partnership as an enormous opportunity for “reducing emissions, for improving marine biodiversity, and…providing support for traditional communities and coastal communities.”

Blue carbon, carbon that is stored in coastal and marine habitats, is expected to play a role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting biodiversity conservation, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and fisheries habitat protection, according to a press release by the Government of Australia. The press release states that coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds, can sequester carbon more effectively than forests. The press release further highlights the inclusion of blue carbon activities in the context of REDD+, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), Intended National Determined Contributions (INDCs) and voluntary carbon markets.

The network will measure coastal blue carbon ecosystems and their capacity to absorb carbon emissions and develop approaches to protect and enhance blue carbon ecosystems. The partnership will also support research on blue carbon measurement and management; and capacity building and knowledge transfer across countries. The partnership will work to mobilize financial support from mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the private sector.

In addition to the three governments, the founding members of the International Partnership for Blue Carbon are: the Blue Carbon Initiative (Conservation International (CI), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC)); the CGIAR Consortium’s Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), GRID-Arendal; the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP); the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS); the Office of the Pacific Oceanscape Commissioners; and the Global Change Institute. CIFOR announced it will contribute to the partnership through, inter alia, a learning toolbox to inform policy makers on the role of tropical wetlands and adaptation and mitigation strategies. [GLF Press Release] [Government of Australia Press Release] [CIFOR Press Release] [IUCN Press Release] [IISD RS Story on GLF Event] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21]