Title of the Initiative (project/programme): Developing locally-led mangrove blue carbon projects
Project Overview:
Start date: 2011
End date: 2048
Countries covered: Madagascar
Donor(s): UK Government, GEF/UNEP, MacArthur Foundation, The Helmsley Trust, The
Waterloo Foundation, WIOMSA
Principal Investigator: Blue Ventures
Website: https://blueventures.org/conservation/blue-forests/
Aim/Objectives:
Generating blue carbon credits through the sustainable management of mangroves could help to alleviate poverty and support biodiversity conservation in the coastal regions of Madagascar. We are contributing to the science required to make community-led, rights-based blue carbon projects a reality, and building the capacity of local management associations to protect their mangroves
Our research is seeking to quantify the exact nature and dynamics of carbon sequestration and fluxes in mangrove forests throughout Madagascar in order to ensure the proper valuation of blue carbon credits. By maintaining strong communications with national institutions, we are supporting the development of mangrove conservation projects that integrate into Madagascar’s national REDD+ strategy.
Key activities:
The basis of this work is empowering local management of mangroves and their fisheries, through working with coastal communities to secure legal management rights of their marine resources and develop mangrove management plans. These management plans form the foundations of the activities that generate emission reductions, which can then be valorised into carbon credits for sale on the voluntary market, in close partnership with the Government of Madagascar. In parallel to this, our research priorities stem from our aim to develop blue carbon projects that fulfil the Verified Carbon Standard, Climate Community and Biodiversity Alliance, and Plan Vivo standards. These are:
Quantifying greenhouse gas emission reductions that can be achieved through mangrove conservation
Main outputs:
Partners involved:
Government of Madagascar (primarily BNC-CC/REDD+), L’Institut Halieutique et des Sciences
Marines (Université de Toliara) , l’École Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (Université
d’Antananarivo), WIOMSA, The International Partnership for Blue Carbon, The Global Mangrove
Alliance.