After 5 years of collaboration between the Junta de Andalucía, the IUCN and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the NGO Hombre y Territorio, the Life Blue Natura project is concluded with one of the most anticipated results: the definition of two pilot projects of blue carbon compensation that has the support of the new Andalusian carbon standard for the certification of blue carbon credits and the legal framework of the Andalusian Climate Change Law.

The work carried out by this project has revealed the carbon richness of the sediments in tidal marshes and marine angiosperm meadows of the Bay of Cádiz, as well as in the Posidonia meadows of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. Thanks to the definition of these projects and the Andalusian blue carbon standard, companies will be able to offset their emissions in the voluntary carbon market through these projects based on the conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems in the European context for the first time.

IUCN-Med has participated in the development of this project and the establishment of these blue carbon projects and has developed the first manual to support the financing of restoration and conservation efforts in Europe and the Mediterranean:
https://www.iucn.org/news/mediterranean/202105/first-guidelines-design-and-deploy-blue-carbon-projects-europe-and-mediterranean

This methodology and tools tested and developed in Andalusia are already pioneering bases to implement other blue carbon projects through the emission compensation markets within Europe.

Photo © LIFE Blue Natura