Coastal Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Opportunities for Nationally Determined Contributions - Policy Brief

This policy brief reviews how Parties’ INDCs/NDCs incorporate coastal blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves, tidal salt marshes, seagrasses) for mitigation and adaptation under the Paris Agreement and outlines options to strengthen future submissions; it reports that 151 countries host at least one such ecosystem (71 host all three), 28 countries include coastal wetlands in mitigation and 59 integrate coastal ecosystems in adaptation; estimated mitigation gains include avoiding 0.23 Gt CO₂ yr⁻¹ by halting half of current wetland loss and adding 160 Mt CO₂ yr⁻¹ via restoration to 1990 extent; the brief details adaptation roles (coastal protection, fisheries, ICZM), places mangroves within LULUCF/REDD+, urges inclusion in national inventories using the IPCC Wetlands Supplement, and recommends programmatic approaches that link mitigation and adaptation.