Gulbenkian Blue Carbon
This initiative promotes investment in the conservation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems in mainland Portugal.
Blue carbon is the term used for carbon captured and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems. With great capacity for sequestering carbon, these ecosystems are vital for combatting climate change. Protecting and restoring blue carbon ecosystems is a high-potential ‘nature-based’ solution that benefits the climate, biodiversity and livelihoods.
Gulbenkian Blue Carbon is a collaborative initiative between the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, ANP|WWF and the University of the Algarve’s Marine Sciences Centre (CCMAR) that aims to catalyse investment in Portugal’s blue carbon ecosystems.
Between 2022-2023, the initiative conducted a study that was the first of its kind – mapping and characterising blue carbon ecosystems in mainland Portugal that have the potential to sequester carbon. In this study, ten ecosystems were identified and characterised: the Ria de Aveiro, the Mondego Estuary, the Óbidos Lagoon, the Tagus Estuary, the Sado Estuary, the Mira Estuary, the Ria de Alvor, the Arade Estuary, the Ria Formosa and the Guadiana Estuary.
The Foundation is currently investing in a feasibility study in the Tagus Estuary to generate further insight on the potential of interventions to protect and restore marine ecosystems in capturing carbon and protecting biodiversity. This study also aims to identify co-benefits, such as benefits to local communities.
Findings and outcomes
The research during the first phase of the initiative found that:
The results of this initiative helped influence the guidelines Portugal’s Voluntary Carbon Market, leading to marine ecosystems being incorporated into this legislation published in 2024.
Insight from the initiative can benefit other organisations working on marine conversation in Portugal and beyond.
Data and recommendations from the initiative’s first phase are available (in English and Portuguese) in the following reports:
Blue carbon is the term used for carbon captured and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems, i.e., the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by these ecosystems to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases (GHG) on the atmosphere.
In Portugal, blue carbon ecosystems include tidal marshes, seagrass meadows and kelp forests (there are no mangroves in Portugal as these ecosystems are typically found in tropical climates). (in tropical climates, mangroves are also considered).
The carbon sequestration rates of marine ecosystems are much higher than those of terrestrial ecosystems, making them a nature-based solution to climate change.
Marine ecosystems are able to take up and store large amounts of carbon thanks to their high rates of photosynthesis (which makes organic compounds out of the carbon dioxide the plants absorb) and the ability of their sediments to break down organic matter very slowly and limit the production and emission of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
In addition to occupying much smaller areas than terrestrial forests and sequestering carbon at a rate at least eight times faster, carbon is retained in sediments for hundreds (or even thousands) of years, giving them enormous potential to mitigate climate change.
These ecosystems also serve as buffer zones for the impacts of coastal storms—they reduce the risk of flooding, improve water quality and support biodiversity, for example—thus acting as a high impact solution for climate change adaptation.
However, climate change itself is affecting these ecosystems. Extreme weather events, rising sea levels or rising temperatures can damage the systems, causing huge amounts of trapped carbon to be emitted back into the atmosphere.
Project partners
Responsible for the advocacy component of the project and for elaborating the roadmap
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to halt the degradation of nature and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable and promoting the reduction of pollution and waste.
ANP|WWF is a Portuguese NGO working in Portugal in partnership with WWF to conserve biological diversity and national resources, seeking a planet where people can live in harmony with nature.
Responsible for the scientific component of the project and for elaborating the scientific report
The Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) is one of the leading research centres for marine sciences in Portugal. Located in southern Portugal, CCMAR is an independent, non-profit research organisation of the University of Algarve. Dedicated to research and development in marine sciences, CCMAR aims to promote multidisciplinary research and training related to the marine environment, emphasising processes of environmental change that affect marine ecosystems. With a multidisciplinary team of about 250 scientific researchers, well-equipped facilities and laboratories, and easy access to important marine and coastal ecosystems, CCMAR develops activities in five main areas: Research, Training, Industry, Society, and Cooperation.
Project Ambassador
Carlos Duarte, Researcher & Executive Director at Global Coral Reef R&D Platform and Distinguished Professor at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
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Following his research work on the global importance of mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes as carbon sinks, Carlos Duarte and his team developed the concept of “blue carbon” as a nature-based solution to climate change. Thus, considered as the “father” of the Blue Carbon concept, he has conducted research across all continents and oceans, from inland to near-shore and the deep sea, from microbes to whales.