The Ramsar Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Convention has joined the International Partnership for Blue Carbon.
The partnership was established in recognition of the role that ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes play in the carbon cycle through their sequestration of carbon dioxide. Partners include governments, international organisations, NGOs and research institution among them: Australian Government, Republic of Korea Government, UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, CIFOR, IUCN, UNESCO, WWF and Conservation International.
As a worldwide instrument for the conservation of wetlands the Ramsar Convention plays an important role in highlighting the climate regulation function of the world’s marine and coastal wetlands (blue carbon ecosystems) and in stimulating their conservation and restoration. Currently there are 952 Wetlands of International Importance (marine and coastal wetlands) which are covering 68,556,908 ha.
Blue carbon ecosystems are increasingly becoming a part of the international dialogue in adaptation, mitigation, wetlands preservation and biodiversity conservation discussions.
Coastal blue carbon ecosystems – mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses – are important for addressing climate change and securing social, economic and environmental outcomes. These ecosystems sequester two to four times more carbon than terrestrial forests.
Improved management of these ecosystems can enhance food security, secure livelihoods, increase resilience, and contribute to delivering Nationally Determined Contributions through carbon sequestration.
The International Partnership for Blue Carbon aims to protect and restore coastal blue carbon ecosystems by: building awareness, exchanging knowledge, and accelerating practical action.
The Partnership is not a funding body, but instead aims to better connect the efforts of governments, research organisations and non-government organisations. It also aims to build on the significant initiatives already under way in this area.
About 50 countries have recognised the value of blue carbon in their Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement (NDCs). The Partnership, over time, will build awareness and capacity to enable additional countries to include blue carbon in their NDCs. Future actions will include catalysing project development at larger scales in priority regional ‘hotspots’ and linking blue carbon projects with climate finance.
Read more about the International Partnership for Blue Carbon in these background documents: https://bluecarbonpartnership.org
