Blue Carbon Mangrove and Seagrass Ecosystems |09 September 2023

Supporting evidence-based targets for enhanced NDC ambition across the Western Indian Ocean

The Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment (MACCE) in partnership with Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) and Pew Charitable Trusts hosted a technical workshop and networking reception in the lead up to Africa Climate Week and Africa Climate Summit on Sunday, September 3, in Nairobi Kenya.

The events were attended by participants from the governments of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, and organisations/institutions such as WIOMSA, Oxford University, Adaptation Fund, IUCN and researchers.

2020 was a pivotal year for ocean and climate change. In line with the Paris Agreement, all countries provided a revised and more ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) by 2020. 

MACCE, partnered with SeyCCAT and several other partners to deliver a revised NDC that integrates coastal wetlands (blue carbon habitats), within its NDC.  Coastal wetlands such as mangroves, seagrass beds and salt marshes are highly effective at absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and ocean, buffering coastlines, creating essential habitats for numerous species and supporting local economies. These ecosystems can therefore play a vital role in international efforts to lessen the impacts of climate change as nature-based solution (NbS). Coastal wetlands have the potential to sequester three to five times the amount of carbon per acre when compared to forest ecosystems.

Since 2020, Seychelles embarked on The Seychelles Seagrass Mapping and Assessment project and the Coastal Wetlands and Climate Change project jointly with international and local partners focused on three outcomes; the first seagrass validated map of Seychelles EEZ, building local capacity to support the sustainable management of the country’s seagrass ecosystems and the potential for carbon sequestration and storage of seagrass.

The latter was completed end of 2022 and handed over to GIS Section under MACCE. The finalised report with vital country findings including how many species of seagrass are found in Seychelles and the carbon sequestration will be finalised before October 2023.

The main objectives of the event was for Seychelles to showcase the progress that it has made under the projects and share lessons learnt. Several key learnings were shared at the workshop on developing and implementing science based NDC targets for seagrass and mangrove ecosystems. Thereafter, a plenary discussion took place, to allow countries and partners to identify key needs in developing strategies for science based NDC commitments through field work, data sharing, and national policy development.

The discussion also showcased the expansive approach used to develop Seychelles’ first field-verified seagrass map to the wider Western Indian Ocean countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar.

The Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change & Environment, Flavien Joubert, delivered a keynote address at the reception alongside director Simon Reddy from the Pew Charitable Trust.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the event.

Contributed