A collection of resources has been published in an Edinburgh Napier-led effort to help coastal communities make the most of their local environment in the fight against climate change.
Backed by the Scottish Government, Professor Mark Huxham from ENU’s School of Applied Sciences is behind the guides to blue carbon ecosystems, which aim to empower policy makers and organisations to harness carbon-capturing habitats, including mangroves, seagrasses and saltmarshes.
These ecosystems can store carbon from the atmosphere. Funding to help conserve and expand them can come from carbon markets, where buyers purchase credits to help offset their CO2 emissions. It is hoped this set of briefing resources, entitled Holdfast, can help people in Scotland and beyond harness this.
The guides include advice on aspects such as how best to identify viable areas, work with local communities and secure funding.
Professor Huxham said: “This is all about cutting through the complexity of conservation. There is a lot of untapped potential when it comes to blue carbon, and we hope these publications will give people a viable, nature-based solution to help address the climate crisis.
“The model of using the carbon market to raise funds for local action has worked well before, and it would be encouraging to see more projects emerge, either in Scotland or elsewhere.
“While blue carbon must not be used to delay emissions reduction, it has a significant role to play in tackling their harmful effects and conserving vital habitats.”
Chair of the SBCF Professor Bill Austin said: "I congratulate Professor Huxham and his Holdfast team for their pioneering work with coastal communities in Africa, highlighting how coastal restoration and blue carbon projects can work hand-in-hand to deliver positive outcomes for climate, people and nature.
“This is a very timely example of Scotland's outstanding blue carbon contribution to positive climate action and appropriate as the UN climate dialogue continues in Bonn, Germany this week with one of two key topics highlighting blue carbon and coastal restoration."
A previous blue carbon project involving Professor Huxham, Mikoko Pamoja, recently marked its 10-year anniversary. Based in Kenya, it was the world’s first community-led mangrove conservation and restoration project supported through carbon credits.
Holdfast has been put together with the collaboration of the Association of Coastal Ecosystem Services (ACES), the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) and Project Seagrass.
As well as a policy brief and video, it includes guides for communities and finance options.