Reviewing models of ecosystem services provided by Blue Carbon ecosystems

Over the past decade, rapid advances in modelling techniques—from process-based and empirical approaches to ecosystem service tools and risk frameworks—have greatly expanded the ability to quantify the benefits provided by blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses), including carbon sequestration, coastal protection, habitat provision, and water quality regulation. However, models vary widely in assumptions, data needs, scales, and documentation, leaving numerous actors (managers, researchers, policy makers) with a confusing number of tools but little guidance on how to choose among them. This gap has major consequences for climate policy and nature based solutions, leading to inconsistent assessments, limited uptake by practitioners, and underuse of robust existing models. 

Addressing these challenges, we are currently working on a novel project aiming to develop a guideline of the different modelling techniques available to support the quantification of ecosystem services provided by blue carbon ecosystems (e.g., mangroves, tidal marshes, seagrasses). More specifically, we are reviewing the modelling techniques and algorithms available in the scientific literature used to quantify ecosystem services (e.g., coastal protection, resilience, carbon, water quality, etc.) provided by blue carbon ecosystems. We plan to produce a guide to support a variety of actors (e.g., managers, researchers, policy makers, etc.) to apply these models in their work using different case studies. We will develop an online platform that supports coherent, comparable, and policy relevant blue carbon assessments worldwide.