The Australian Government has reaffirmed its commitment to restore and protect global blue carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrasses and tidal marshes, at COP28 in Dubai.
Blue carbon ecosystems are critical in our fight to better protect our environment around the world. The carbon captured by the world's ocean and coastal ecosystems helps in our fight against climate change, while restoring blue carbon ecosystems also protects vital habitat for threatened marine species, supports food security for coastal communities and improves water quality.
Through Australia's partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over $3 million in grants is being delivered through the Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund (BCAF).
The government has today announced 4 new projects to conserve and repair blue carbon ecosystems across the Indo-Pacific. New BCAF projects in Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia will add to projects announced earlier this year in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Funding will support local communities, restoration practitioners and researchers to conserve and restore coastal ecosystems, while strengthening community engagement and positive ecosystems outcomes.
Australia has also joined world leaders, including Indonesia, Fiji, Japan and the United States of America, in signing a joint declaration on ocean and climate action at COP28 in Dubai. The declaration reiterates our commitment to sustainably manage 100 per cent of our national waters to safeguard the long-term health and resilience of the ocean and coasts.
We've also signed up to a new partnership with Japan through the International Partnership for Blue Carbon, to jointly protect, restore and sustainably manage carbon globally. And we've endorsed the Mangrove Breakthrough, a science-led initiative to secure 15 million hectares of mangroves globally through a collective investment of $4 billion by 2030. Mangroves are great at storing carbon. They provide vital habitat for fish and birds, they protect coastlines from storm surges, and offer a livelihood for communities.
Alongside this, we are continuing to work with the IUCN and Indo-Pacific partners to drive private investment in nature repair and protection in our region and around the world, ahead of the Global Nature Positive Summit in October next year.
Quotes attributable to Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek:
"In Australia, we are determined to better protect, restore and expand blue carbon ecosystems, which are up to five times better at sequestering carbon than rainforests.
"We know our mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass environments are incredibly important, for our fight against climate change, to help our ecosystems better adapt to climate pressures, and to support the livelihoods of coastal communities.
"That's why we want to play our part in support these vital ecosystems at home and in the Pacific. These projects will take a community-led approach to blue carbon restoration and conservation, while increasing opportunities for private sector investment.
"We want to be a leader in protecting the world's oceans for the future."
