In November 2024, PADF gathered with its partners in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic for two impactful two-day trainings on measuring carbon stocks in coastal ecosystems. With the Caribbean’s unique coastal ecosystems, understanding and quantifying the carbon storage capacity of mangroves and seagrass beds is essential for supporting long-term ecosystem health. This training helps participants measure their project’s impact and alue natural environments. It also enhances regional efforts by providing tools like carbon estimates to support policies such as coastal restoration, sustainable land use incentives, and blue carbon credits. As part of PADF’s training in partnership with the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), participants engaged in hands-on fieldwork across Jamaica and the Dominican Republic’s diverse coastal ecosystems, including seagrass beds and mangrove forests.
Jamaica Training: Measuring Carbon in Mangroves and Seagrass Beds
At Gallows Point, accessible only by boat, participants explored a beautiful combination of submerged seagrass habitats and wet mangrove forests. This provided an ideal setting to practice measuring biomass, collecting soil cores, and estimating carbon stocks in these carbon-rich environments. The training continued at the Fort Rocky Mangroves, where participants examined the differences between wetter, soil-saturated mangroves near the coast and the drier, upland mangroves closer to the roadside. By assessing these varied environments, participants gained a deeper understanding of how mangroves—both wet and dry—play a critical role in carbon sequestration and ecosystem resilience.
Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic: Expanding Knowledge in Mangrove Restoration
Following the success of the training in Jamaica, PADF and CBF traveled to Las Terrenas, in the Samaná province of the Dominican Republic. This second phase of the training took place in a mangrove area with a unique focus on understanding the mangroves’ critical role in carbon sequestration and their potential for coastal restoration. Participants had the opportunity to collaborate in exploring how these mangrove ecosystems contribute not only to local biodiversity but also to ecosystem health by mitigating coastal erosion and storing significant amounts of carbon. The training at Las Terrenas offered insights into the distinctive features of this coastal ecosystem, which plays an essential role in protecting and supporting local ecosystems.
Empowering Caribbean Organizations with the Tools for Action
This immersive training equipped Caribbean organizations with the skills needed to enhance carbon accounting and restoration efforts, building capacity for long-term ecosystem health through science-based approaches.
Why This Matters:
The ability to accurately estimate carbon stocks in coastal ecosystems is crucial for a variety of reasons. It enhances our partners’ ability to advocate for policies supporting sustainable land management, participate in carbon offset projects, and attract new sources of funding to support ecosystem restoration and resilience efforts. As part of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund’s (CBF) strategic plan, this training aligns with broader goals to strengthen regional resilience, increase sustainable financing opportunities, and ensure that Caribbean ecosystems continue to thrive in the face of environmental challenges.
Looking Ahead:
We’re excited to see how this training will empower our partners to take actionable steps toward creating a more resilient Caribbean. By improving carbon accounting practices, we’re unlocking new pathways for securing funding and fostering greater cooperation across the region to protect and restore these vital ecosystems. The next steps involve continuing to build our partners’ capacity to measure and monitor carbon in coastal ecosystems, ensuring that their restoration efforts are not only environmentally beneficial but also economically viable. Together, we are shaping a more sustainable and resilient Caribbean for generations to come.
