Investigating the potential for a blue carbon economy on Australia’s northern coastline
B. W. Davis A * , R. A. Groom B , C. J. Carle A , L. B. Hutley B , C. Lovelock C and J. Perry DA INPEX Operations Australia Pty Ltd, Perth, WA, Australia.
B Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
C University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
D Northern Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, Townsville, Qld, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 63 S367-S370 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22021
Accepted: 6 February 2023 Published: 11 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
The term ‘Blue Carbon’ (BC) recognises the ability of mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrasses to capture and store carbon in their soils and biomass. Given their anoxic sediment, BC ecosystems can sequester up to as much as four times more carbon per hectare, and store it 30–50 times faster, than terrestrial forests. Australia has some of the world’s largest BC storage capacity, with 5–11% of global BC soil stocks and 2–7% of annual BC sequestration, based on available global estimate. Evidence indicates that mangrove and saltmarsh degradation from cyclone damage, feral damage and disease, is occurring throughout the Northern Territory (NT). This is a growing issue with feral animal populations degrading Indigenous lands and areas of conservation significance. This cumulative pressure on BC habitat means that northern Australia is uniquely positioned to expand BC methods to also account for protection and restoration of degraded coastal habitats including freshwater wetlands that have been damaged by non-native feral animals. Researchers from Charles Darwin University (CDU), University of Queensland (UQ), and the Northern Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd (NAILSMA) recently worked to explore the opportunity and potential for economically viable BC methods in the NT. The study had a particular focus on Aboriginal Land gazetted under the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act (1976) (Cth). We present the research outcomes and identify the pathway to focused research on BC stores and tailored methods for generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and potentially biodiversity credits, in the NT.
Keywords: Aboriginal, blue carbon, carbon, carbon credits, First Nations, indigenous, land management, land rights, offsets, policy, strategy, Traditional Owner.
Ben Davis is a marine scientist and senior environment advisor for INPEX Australia. Ben holds a BSc (Hons) in Marine Science and Environmental Management, and currently implements environmental approvals, studies and monitoring. This requires close collaboration with Aboriginal Traditional Owners and ranger groups throughout the NT. |
Dr Rachel Groom is currently working with Charles Darwin University and AIMS. Rachel has experience in the design of monitoring and research projects, leading teams of scientists and indigenous rangers, conducting marine environmental impact assessments, policy evaluation and improving resource management informed by science. |
Christopher (Jamie) Carle has a MSc and BSc with nearly 20 years experience in the natural resource management and major infrastructure sectors. Jamie is an environment team lead at INPEX and manages environmental monitoring and the long-term environmental offset programs on behalf of Ichthys LNG. |
Professor Lindsay Hutley is a plant physiologist and an associate professor at Charles Darwin University. His recent work has focused on quantifying fluxes of carbon, water and energy balance from a range of ecosystems, including mangroves of north Australia. |
Professor Catherine Lovelock is a marine ecologist, and professor at the University of Queensland. Catherine’s research focuses on the influence of environmental change, on the ecology of coastal and marine plant communities and in providing knowledge to underpin conservation and restoration of these ecosystems. |
Dr Justin Perry is a research scientist with NAILSMA, working with practical land management and adaptive management of threats to Australia’s unique natural values. He is currently leading several projects to manage feral animals, weeds and fire on vast remote Indigenous estates in northern Australia. |
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