31 March 2011: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP)/GRID-Arendal Marine Programme has released the March 2011 edition of its newsletter, including the announcement of a new collaborative project on Blue Carbon and recent events in which UNEP/GRID-Arendal has participated.

According to the newsletter, UNEP/GRID-Arendal is developing a Blue Carbon strategy for the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of the initiative is to mainstream a Blue Carbon agenda into regional, national and community climate change initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of the initiative, a regional Blue Carbon expert working group has been established to provide regional support and direction. This working group is developing a discussion paper introducing key issues related to blue carbon ecosystems, in order to provoke debate among governments, communities, researchers and the corporate sector on the role of these ecosystems in mitigating climate change. [Publication: UNEP/GRID-Arendal Marine Newsletter #16]