Blue Carbon & Blue Economy
Blue Carbon in Blue Economy
Blue carbon and its role in the blue economy is vital as it provides an opportunity to mitigate climate change and promote sustainable development. Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and job opportunities while preserving the health of marine and coastal ecosystems. Blue carbon, on the other hand, refers to the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems namely mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes. The blue carbon ecosystems are highly efficient at capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making them important carbon sinks compared to other nature ecosystems.
However, the blue carbon ecosystems are facing various threats. One of the major threats is human activities such as deforestation, overfishing, and pollution. These activities lead to the destruction of these ecosystems, resulting in the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
Other threats to blue carbon ecosystems are climate change itself. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns can all have negative impacts on these ecosystems, making them less effective at storing carbon and reducing their ability to mitigate climate change.
By protecting and restoring mangrove, seagrasses and salt marshes that store blue carbon, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), improve water quality, support biodiversity and enhance coastal resilience to climate change impacts such as sea level rise and storms surges. In turn, we can ensure their continued ability to store blue carbon and provide valuable services for blue economy to both people and the planet.
However, the blue carbon ecosystems are facing various threats. One of the major threats is human activities such as deforestation, overfishing, and pollution. These activities lead to the destruction of these ecosystems, resulting in the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
Other threats to blue carbon ecosystems are climate change itself. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns can all have negative impacts on these ecosystems, making them less effective at storing carbon and reducing their ability to mitigate climate change.
By protecting and restoring mangrove, seagrasses and salt marshes that store blue carbon, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), improve water quality, support biodiversity and enhance coastal resilience to climate change impacts such as sea level rise and storms surges. In turn, we can ensure their continued ability to store blue carbon and provide valuable services for blue economy to both people and the planet.
How Tabah Plays a role in Blue Carbon​
Project Asset Assessment & Feasibility Exercise
Blue Carbon is often complex and requires preliminary assessment and feasibility study to meet climate change goals and investment viability. Tabah, backed by coordinated scientist globally, provide these services.
Project Design
Tabah offers project design services that entails approaches, planning and implementing a project in accordance to International Standards that aims to protect, restore or enhance blue carbon ecosystems. The project design involves identifying the goals and objectives, selecting the appropriate interventions, determining the resources needed, establishing a timeline and monitoring and evaluating the project’s progress.
Conservation and Restoration
Tabah is capable assessing the potential for conservation and restoration and developing a restoration plan that addresses the underlying causes of degradation. Restoration plans are selected based on its previous, current and potential environmental conditions and its socio-economic conditions. There are various restoration programmes implemented by Tabah such as habitat restoration, removing invasive species, planting mangrove seedlings, restoring hydrology, pollution control and sustainable fishing practices and many more.
Governance Structure
A project often involves very complex structure and often with conflicting interest of different stakeholders over resource use and management. Tabah offers these services to land owner and investor in order to manage risk, improve decision-making process with clear accountability.