Belize: A Blue Carbon Readiness Assessment

Blue Carbon encompasses the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, macroalgae (such as kelp), and benthic sediments, recognized for providing vital ecosystem services that benefit humanity. These ecosystems contribute to climate change mitigation by burying three to five times more carbon per unit of area than tropical forests, while also offering adaptation benefits such as flood and storm protection, freshwater filtration, soil fertilization, and food production. Despite their economic, environmental, and social importance, Blue Carbon ecosystems (BCEs) face severe pressure from a range of degradation drivers, including agriculture, aquaculture, infrastructure, and urban development. Rapid and substantial action is needed to scale protection and restoration measures and provide the necessary funding. Studies have shown that the benefits of Blue Carbon initiatives, environmental, social, and economic, far surpass associated costs. However, bringing about these changes requires substantial resources in data, science, finance, and tailored regulatory and institutional interventions. Governments, in their role as regulators, administrators, law enforcers, landowners, and social and economic mediators, are center stage in this process. With the pressing need to tackle climate mitigation, enhance climate resilience, and transition to a more productive and resilient Blue Economy, this report examines the readiness of Belize to facilitate, catalyze, and scale up public and private investments in coastal Blue Carbon, including through the international carbon markets.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	World Bank
Format:	Report biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	Washington, DC: World Bank 2024-11-05
Subjects:	CLIMATE ACTION, SDG 13, LIFE BELOW WATER, SDG 14,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099092624201530564/P50097512947dd09b1b9f91319a258920fb https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42360
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