Standard Presentation (12 minutes) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

 Applying project level ecosystem accounting to blue carbon ecosystem restoration sites (119977)

Karita Negandhi 1 , Ellen Ditria 2
  1. Aust. Gov, DCCEEW, Blue Carbon and International Partnerships, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  2. Aust. Gov. DCCEEW, Blue Carbon and International Partnerships, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Through the Australian Government's Blue Carbon Conservation, Restoration and Accounting Program, 5 blue carbon ecosystem sites around Australia were funded for restoration. Accompanying the restoration sites, application of the United Nations System of Environmental Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (UN SEEA EA) framework was explored at the project-level. The projects represent a variety of blue carbon ecosystems (supratidal forests, mangroves, saltmarsh, and seagrass) and tested metrics to use within the framework that inform on the multiple benefits these ecosystems can provide. Data was collected to record the diverse benefits of these project, such as ecosystem extent, condition, biodiversity, and the ecosystem services of global climate mitigation (carbon sequestration and emissions avoidance), nursery population and habitat maintenance, biomass provisioning, water purification, and cultural and recreational services. Following the UN SEEA EA framework, these projects also informed methods to place a financial value on many of these ecosystem services. Here we will present on the lessons learned from applying Ecosystem Accounting at a project level to blue carbon restoration sites.