James Michel Foundation |02 July 2022

Completion of roadmap to blue carbon opportunities in Seychelles to reach net zero

The James Michel Foundation, in collaboration with Deakin University's Blue Carbon Lab, has completed a project funded by the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation on blue carbon opportunities in Seychelles.

This project has explored Seychelles’ blue carbon future and now presents a long-term roadmap to establish a nationwide evidence-based programme, geared towards the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

“Seagrass meadows and mangrove forests trap carbon 30-50 times faster than terrestrial forests and in doing so they contribute to reducing greenhouse gases, thus global warming. It therefore makes ecological and economic sense to ensure their protection against negative human interferences. They are indispensable for the Seychelles blue economy. They [also] provide coastal resilience against storms and sea-level rise, enhance biodiversity, and supports local livelihoods,” says Seychelles’ former President James Michel, founder and executive chairman of the James Michel Foundation.

This Blue Carbon Opportunities Roadmap proposes a series of social, scientific, governance, and financial actions that should be implemented over the next years to enhance collective action in increasing mindfulness towards actions, towards decisions that affect these blue carbon ecosystems and integrating them in national policy frameworks. The roadmap will also then enable Seychelles to connect blue carbon projects to blue carbon markets and other finance mechanisms to account for Seychelles’ ocean carbon offsetting capacity, therefore helping Seychelles remain a net carbon sink and achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Press release from the James Michel Foundation