Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Land
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Biodiversity
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Invasive species
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Wildlife trade
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    A day in the life

    A day in the life...

    Our video series showcases the diverse and important work we do.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Science and research
  3. Climate change
  4. Ocean Sustainability and Climate Change
  5. Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems

Sidebar first - EN - Science

  • Oceans and climate change
    • Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems
      • Blue Carbon Conservation, Restoration and Accounting Program
        • Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants
        • Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund
      • International Partnership for Blue Carbon

Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems

Summary

Coastal blue carbon ecosystems are environments that support mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses. They are prevalent along most coastlines in the world. The term ‘blue carbon’ recognises the ability of these ecosystems to capture and store large amounts of carbon in their soils, roots and plants making them a significant ‘carbon sink’.

Coastal blue carbon ecosystems provide essential breeding grounds for commercial fish, habitat for threatened marine species such as turtles and dugongs, feeding and staging grounds for migratory birds, and filter water flowing into our ocean and reef systems. They play a vital role in food security and sustaining coastal livelihoods, including by supporting fishing and tourism.

Coastal blue carbon ecosystems also provide a natural barrier that can reduce the impact of storm surges reducing coastal inundation, infrastructure damage and protecting coastal communities.

Scientific assessments show that blue carbon ecosystems can sequester two to four times more carbon per hectare and store it 30-50 times faster than terrestrial forests, and thereby can make a significant contribution to global action on climate change. Blue carbon ecosystems are recognised as an important Nature-based Solution to climate change.

Australia is considered a global ‘blue carbon hotspot’. Australia harbors about 12 per cent of the World’s blue carbon ecosystems, which hold about 7-12 per cent of global carbon stock. The seagrass meadows surrounding the coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef alone host an estimated 11 per cent of the world’s seagrass blue carbon.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of blue carbon ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation, protection of biodiversity and threatened species, disaster risk reduction and livelihoods of coastal communities.

With a view to conserve and restore blue carbon ecosystems, the Australian Government is supporting research, on-ground restoration projects, capacity building and global partnerships through various initiatives.

Snapshot of current activities supported by the Australian Government

  • We are funding practical action to support restoration, conservation and accounting for blue carbon ecosystems in Australia and overseas, $30.6 million, 2020-2025.
  • Australia leads the International Partnership for Blue Carbon with fifty partners from government agencies, non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations and research institutions sharing a vision to protect, restore and sustainably manage global blue carbon ecosystems.
  • Australia is one of only a few countries to progressively include coastal wetlands in international carbon accounting using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2013 Wetlands Supplement, and we deliver capacity building activities for developing countries on measurement, reporting and verification.
  • Australia is planning the first national ocean ecosystem account, with a focus on coastal blue carbon ecosystems. This work will provide information on ecosystem extent and condition, and ecosystem services such as coastal protection and carbon sequestration.
  • Australia led the development of resolutions adopted by Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands to encourage global action for the protection and restoration of blue carbon wetland ecosystems.
  • The Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP) funds environmental and climate research, with the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub supporting science for Australia’s marine and coastal environments, including blue carbon ecosystems, coast, reefs, shelf and deep-water. 
  • As part of the Emission Reduction Fund, Australia is developing a method for securing carbon credits for restoring blue carbon ecosystems from the reintroduction of tidal flows.
  • Australia is supporting national climate action and livelihoods in Papua New Guinea and Fiji through enhanced mapping, measurement and accounting for blue carbon, demonstrating the viability of generating blue carbon offsets, and biodiversity and livelihood benefits to attract investments and exchanging knowledge and expertise between Australian Indigenous communities across the Pacific (Pacific Blue Carbon Program $6.3 million, 2018-2024).
  • Australia is working with Indonesia to improve understanding and management of coastal blue carbon ecosystems for climate action and sustainable livelihoods (Indonesia Blue Carbon Program $2 million, 2019-2023) 
  • Australia is providing training to Sri Lankan scientists and collecting essential underpinning data to inform evidence-based policy to support the use of blue carbon ecosystems as a nature-based climate mitigation tool (Blue carbon for climate change mitigation and sustainable livelihoods in Sri Lanka $430,000, 2019-2022).
  • Australia supports the IORA Indian Ocean Blue Carbon Hub which aims to build knowledge about and capacity in protecting and restoring blue carbon ecosystems throughout the Indian Ocean, in a way that enhances livelihoods, reduces risks from natural disasters, and helps mitigate climate change.
  • Australia has launched the Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund to support the development of blue carbon restoration and conservation projects in countries outside Australia and help pave the way for private sector finance.

Read more

  • National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy
  • Climate adaptation
  • Climate change science
  • Our climate services and tools
  • Nature-based solutions for climate
  • Our environment climate change initiatives
  • Our agricultural climate change initiatives
  • Our oceans climate change initiatives
  • Emissions reduction
  • International climate adaptation
  • Our publications and resources
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 06 November 2021

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.