New Blue Carbon Institute Will be Housed in Singapore

Amazon and Conservation International announced at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) the establishment of the International Blue Carbon Institute.

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.

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. 

As part of its ongoing commitment to nature-based solutions, Amazon will provide a grant of up to US$3 million to establish and fund the Institute’s operations for the first three years to help the region build and scale credible blue carbon projects.

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.

Regionally, 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. 

The Institute will work with governments across Southeast Asia and the Pacific to integrate blue carbon into climate change mitigation policies at international, regional and local levels. It will expand education for practitioners, policymakers and communities to access the latest scientific knowledge, standards, best practices and resources on blue carbon projects.

The Institute will also partner with academic institutions, NGOs, private sector and governments to develop key tools for advancing blue carbon, including carbon credit methodologies and standards, policy frameworks and field techniques.

In the first year, this will include focusing on building tools to support science-based restoration of blue carbon ecosystems, developing key guidance on blue carbon in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and expanding the knowledge related to the climate value of seagrasses and kelp ecosystems.

Emily Pidgeon, Vice President, Ocean Science and Innovation, Conservation International, said: “Blue carbon ecosystems are some of our planet’s most carbon-rich, yet globally threatened, ecosystems and as such are one of the world’s most important conservation priorities. Our organisation is dedicated to catalysing coastal conservation and restoration through the highest quality blue carbon projects and investments and is working to deliver the essential knowledge and tools that are the foundation for including blue carbon in policy and incentive mechanisms.”

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