On December 9th and 10th, key experts working in the European and Mediterranean regions gathered to examine trends and impacts of climate change on coastal wetlands and seagrasses and present projects of blue carbon restoration.

Climate change is already altering key Mediterranean ecosystems, such as coastal wetlands and seagrass habitats. Also known as ‘Blue Carbon’ ecosystems, tidal salt marshes and seagrass meadows can store high amounts of carbon from our atmosphere. Hence, Blue Carbon ecosystems hold great potential as Nature-based Solutions to mitigate climate change. They also play a unique role in protecting coastlines from the increasing impacts of climate change by absorbing incoming wave energy, providing storm surge protection and preventing erosion.

SEE THE PROGRAMME AGENDA

In this webinar, key experts who are working in the European and Mediterranean regions:

• Shared valuable knowledge on trends and impacts of climate change on coastal wetlands and seagrasses
• Presented experiences and initiatives of Blue Carbon projects in restoring these ecosystems.

The first day focused on seagrasses, whereas the second was dedicated to coastal wetlands. 

This seminar was organised in the framework of the Life BlueNatura project, which is coordinated by the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of Junta de Andalucía, along with other partners such as IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua de Andalucía (AMAYA), CSIC-CEAB and Asociación Hombre y Territorio (HyT).

LIFE Blue Natura (2015-2021) is a European project whose main objective is to know and quantify the blue carbon sinks of marine meadows and coastal wetlands in Andalusia and evaluate their environmental services using the tools and policies related to climate change.