The United Nations recently declared the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Healthy marine ecosystems provide valuable functions and services for human well-being, with coastal “Blue Carbon” (BC) ecosystems (i.e. tidal marshes, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows) being particularly highlighted for their role as effective carbon sinks that can be leveraged towards meeting national and global targets for climate change mitigation.

Blue carbon ecosystems further provide a wide range of other ecosystem services such as (i) protection from storm surges, tsunamis and sea-level rise, (ii) regulation of water quality, (iii) breeding grounds and nursery habitats for fish and invertebrates (including rare species, apex predators, and commercially exploited species), (iv) important sources of natural resources for local communities, (v) valuable source of nutrients and energy for adjacent habitats, and (vi) cultural and educational values for their aesthetics and use in ecotourism.

Despite their importance, blue carbon ecosystems have been highly degraded by human activities, mainly in the form of land acquisition and changes in the natural hydrology. The dangers to these coastal ecosystems are comprehensive and future climate-mitigation work should incorporate protection and restoration of these vital carbon sinks.

Tropical regions are particularly rich blue carbon reservoirs with Indonesia hosting the largest national area of mangroves and seagrasses. Knowledge on tropical regions is, however, particularly limited and this constrains the effective implementation of management actions aimed at restoration. Priority areas of research that will allow countries to utilize these areas within their mitigation and adaptation targets include: mapping of these ecosystems, measuring carbon stocks and fluxes, considering ecosystem services and livelihood opportunities, policy development, and assessing potential abatement activities.

This Research Topic spans many scientific areas and as such invites interdisciplinary submissions from a wide range of topics. These include (but are not restricted to): Tropical Blue Carbon ecosystem studies, Sustainable use and management of BC systems, Emerging stressors and pollutants, Blue Industries and Innovation.

We welcome research articles as well as reviews and particularly encourage researchers from tropical countries to submit their work.

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Frontiers in Marine Science

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