GEF Blue Forests Project

Advancing Science and Policy for Blue Carbon Management: Mitigating CO2 Emissions through Coastal and Estuarine Wetland Conservation & Restoration

par Steve Crooks, GEF

Résumé : The last eight years have seen enormous progress is the emerging field of blue carbon. Recognition that improved management of vegetated coastal ecosystems can play a part on climate change mitigation (as well as adaptation) now features in international policy discussions and analysis, IPCC guidance, early adopter national GHG inventories (notably United States and Australia), science programs and frameworks connecting wetlands globally to the carbon market.
Blue carbon is now entering a phase of consolidation and operationalization within policy, science and management. Following the Paris Climate Agreement over 50 countries recognize management of coastal ecosystems in some form under their plans to reduce GHG emission (called Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs). These documents will define broader policy decisions, infrastructure planning and distribution of funding. Though encouraging, this first phase inclusion of blue carbon is disparate and fragmented and assistance to countries is needed in developing more holistic next generation NDCs (due 2020). Inclusion of coastal wetlands in national GHG inventories will be an important step. There is a need for expanded science globally to fill geographic data gaps, as well as fill subject matter gaps. Finally, there is a need to accelerate actions on the ground that deliver quantified climate mitigation and adaptation benefits.

Blue Forests Project Modeling the impacts of a discard ban in a mixed fishery under catch-quota management

par Olivier Thébaud, UMR 6308 AMURE

Résumé : Individual Transferable catch-Quotas(ITQs)have be come a popular  management tool to reduce excess competition and foster economic efficiency in marine commercial  fisheries. They  have increasingly been used in more complex multispecies  fisheries, where the by-catch of non-targeted species is common. In these fisheries, the reduction of discards is also being promoted, including recently in Europe with the adoption of a landing obligation under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).

In part, the debate on the adoption of this obligation focuses on its potential socio-economic impacts, and whether these could be mitigated through either management or industry adaptation. In this paper, we propose a modeling framework to address these issues. We apply this model to a stylized representation of the Australian South-East Trawl fishery, and illustrate how it can be used to explore the bio-economic implications of a ban on discards under alternative scenarios relating to the quota management system, and to potential adaptation options for the fishery.