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Bringing Wetlands to Market: Expanding Blue Carbon Implementation

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Blue carbon storage—carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands— can help coastal managers and policymakers achieve broader wetlands management, restoration, and conservation goals, in part by securing payment for carbon credits. The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has been at the forefront of blue carbon research, working with end users to provide the information and tools needed to bring blue carbon projects to the carbon market. While end users are becoming more interested in the opportunities that carbon markets present, they are limited by uncertainties, particularly the potential transaction costs associated with bringing a wetland restoration project to market. End users have suggested that using models that incorporate readily available data such as temperature, vegetation type, and salinity may greatly reduce transaction costs.

About this resource

In their 2015 Collaborative Research project, Waquoit Bay Reserve and their partners are building on efforts from Phase 1 of the “Bringing Wetlands to Market in Massachusetts ” project, which was also supported by the NERRS Science Collaborative. This project overview describes the project approach, anticipated benefits, anticipated products, and targeted end users.