Blue Carbon

SUMMARY

Demonstrating Outcomes of Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration of Temperate Saltmarsh. Cool climate tidal marsh restoration with benefits for coastal resilience, biodiversity, recreational fisheries and tourism.

BACKGROUND

Building on an existing Australian Government funded project which is restoring a stranded area of temperate saltmarsh community in Pitt Water Orielton Lagoon to restore and improve fish habitat. This Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration project will assist in understanding the diverse benefits of restoring a large area of stranded temperate saltmarsh community, including what happens to adjacent areas of habitat such as seagrass, or surrounding land-based vegetation and ecological communities.

PARTNERS

The University of Tasmania and local businesses

 

FUNDING

Australian Government

 

PROJECT DURATION

2022-2025

 

APPROACH

Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. Coastal ecosystems are very productive and provide essential ecosystem services, such as coastal protection from storms and nursery grounds for fish. Coastal ecosystems also take up and store carbon from the atmosphere and the oceans, with much of the carbon being stored in sediments beneath coastal vegetation communities. Through the process of restoring these communities, we are aiming to improve this ecosystem’s capacity to sequester carbon and also improve habitat to make the coastline more resilient to natural events. We will be working across 65 ha of temperate saltmarsh community, plus revegetating and remediating area on the surrounding land. As a demonstration project, we’re aiming to learn about how restoration efforts impact on the ability of the saltmarsh to capture and store carbon as well as understand the diverse environmental and social benefits of blue carbon ecosystem restoration.

ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE