10
7. The blue carbon ecosystem provides a wide range of benefits to human society
besides fishery resources. Water purification, reduced coastal pollution, increased
nutrient supplies, increased soil stability, decreased coastal erosion, reduction of
effects of extreme weather events, and protection of the coastline are examples
of other benefits derived from the blue carbon ecosystem. The value of these
ecosystem services has been estimated to be equivalent to at least 25 trillion dollars per year. Therefore, the blue carbon ecosystem is one of the highest valued
ecosystems. Degradation of the blue carbon ecosystem is caused not only by
overuse of natural resources beyond their sustainable level but also by inadequate watershed management and inappropriate coastal development. The conservation and restoration of shallow coastal areas, by enhancing the health of
local residents, employment opportunities, and food safety, enhance human well
being. These services are among the benefits derived from integrated coastal
management, which takes into consideration important characteristics of the target community.
8. Loss of the blue carbon ecosystem is an immediate threat to the global environment and human society. Consideration of the blue carbon ecosystem is the largest missing item in the recent climate change mitigation strategy. Considering
the integrated management of the shallow coastal areas and oceans and including
conservation and restoration of the blue carbon ecosystem area would be the
most effective win–win scenario (i.e. killing two birds with one stone) for mitigation of climate change impacts to date. However, this strategy is still not recognized by international protocols and market economic systems. The following
objectives illustrate the steps needed to conserve, restore, and manage the blue
carbon ecosystem.
(1) Establish a global blue carbon fund to protect and manage shallow coastal areas
and other marine ecosystems as carbon sinks.
Add a mechanism to approve the use of carbon credits through carbon sequestration and storage in marine ecosystems within the international policy agreements on
climate change. Because blue carbon can be treated in the same way as green carbon
in tropical rainforests, it can be included in the protocol on CO 2 emission control
and climate change mitigation.
Establish standards and measurement methods for carbon sequestration appropriate for the global environment in the future.
Strengthen collaborations and consider the framework of financial resources.
Prioritize integrated coastal planning and management at the sustainable ecosystem level in order to strengthen the resilience of coastal vegetation and to maintain
the safety of food and livelihood, especially around the hotspots of the blue carbon
ecosystem.
(2) Protect 80% of existing seagrass beds, saltmarshes, and mangrove forests by
promptly conducting effective management.
(3) Reduce or eliminate the threats confronting blue carbon ecosystems and manage these ecosystems with new perspectives that facilitate robust recoveries.
M. Hori et al.
7. The blue carbon ecosystem provides a wide range of benefits to human society
besides fishery resources. Water purification, reduced coastal pollution, increased
nutrient supplies, increased soil stability, decreased coastal erosion, reduction of
effects of extreme weather events, and protection of the coastline are examples
of other benefits derived from the blue carbon ecosystem. The value of these
ecosystem services has been estimated to be equivalent to at least 25 trillion dollars per year. Therefore, the blue carbon ecosystem is one of the highest valued
ecosystems. Degradation of the blue carbon ecosystem is caused not only by
overuse of natural resources beyond their sustainable level but also by inadequate watershed management and inappropriate coastal development. The conservation and restoration of shallow coastal areas, by enhancing the health of
local residents, employment opportunities, and food safety, enhance human well
being. These services are among the benefits derived from integrated coastal
management, which takes into consideration important characteristics of the target community.
8. Loss of the blue carbon ecosystem is an immediate threat to the global environment and human society. Consideration of the blue carbon ecosystem is the largest missing item in the recent climate change mitigation strategy. Considering
the integrated management of the shallow coastal areas and oceans and including
conservation and restoration of the blue carbon ecosystem area would be the
most effective win–win scenario (i.e. killing two birds with one stone) for mitigation of climate change impacts to date. However, this strategy is still not recognized by international protocols and market economic systems. The following
objectives illustrate the steps needed to conserve, restore, and manage the blue
carbon ecosystem.
(1) Establish a global blue carbon fund to protect and manage shallow coastal areas
and other marine ecosystems as carbon sinks.
Add a mechanism to approve the use of carbon credits through carbon sequestration and storage in marine ecosystems within the international policy agreements on
climate change. Because blue carbon can be treated in the same way as green carbon
in tropical rainforests, it can be included in the protocol on CO 2 emission control
and climate change mitigation.
Establish standards and measurement methods for carbon sequestration appropriate for the global environment in the future.
Strengthen collaborations and consider the framework of financial resources.
Prioritize integrated coastal planning and management at the sustainable ecosystem level in order to strengthen the resilience of coastal vegetation and to maintain
the safety of food and livelihood, especially around the hotspots of the blue carbon
ecosystem.
(2) Protect 80% of existing seagrass beds, saltmarshes, and mangrove forests by
promptly conducting effective management.
(3) Reduce or eliminate the threats confronting blue carbon ecosystems and manage these ecosystems with new perspectives that facilitate robust recoveries.
M. Hori et al.