Seychelles’ Blue Carbon Roadmap

SEYCHELLES’ MANGROVE FORESTS AND SEAGRASS MEADOWS PROVIDE IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.Mangrove forests occur across 1,700 ha of Seychelles' coastline, storing approximately 811,000 tonnes of organic carbon (or 3 million tonnes of CO_2e) within their biomass and soil. More than 80% of these mangrove carbon stocks are located within the Aldabra Atoll, where they are protected under the Aldabra Atoll UNESCO World Heritage Site.Seychelles’ extensive seagrass beds are also important carbon sinks. Despite new field-verified maps suggesting seagrasses cover approximately 143,000 ha, an area significantly smaller than previously mapped (2.1 million ha), Seychelles' seagrass meadows can still hold more than 17 million tonnes of organic carbon (or more than 62 million tonnes CO_2e). Although seagrass stocks account for more than 95% of Seychelles' total blue carbon potential, many seagrass meadows are threatened by coastal development without a major level of protection.Seychelles’ blue carbon ecosystems draw down important amounts of carbon, supporting national efforts to reach net-zero emissions. Together, mangroves and seagrass beds sequester every year more than 200,000 tonnes of organic carbon (or ~730,000 tonnes CO_2e), which is equivalent to more than 60% of Seychelles’ CO₂ emissions.Endowed with significant blue carbon ecosystems and stocks, Seychelles has a responsibility to safeguard these ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. If Seychelles’ blue carbon ecosystems were lost, the carbon released into the atmosphere would be equivalent to the emissions of Seychelles' population over fifty years.Projects aiming to protect and enhance mangroves and seagrass habitats are essential to avoid carbon emissions, guarantee a continued carbon draw down, and maintain additional ecosystem services critical to Seychellois (e.g., coastal protection and fisheries enhancement).