Climate change is having serious consequences at the global level and its effects are becoming more and more notable. There are ways to stop them not only by avoiding emitting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but also by helping the Earth have a greater capacity when it comes to power. absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
On our planet there are ecosystems that are key to the contribution of this absorption. Is about seagrass beds and coastal wetlands.
The first conferences on the coastal carbon sinks found in the project are taking place in Malaga Life Blue Nature. This project is coordinated by the Andalusian Regional Government's Ministry for the Environment and Spatial Planning. During these sessions there will be intensive talks and debates in which scientific experts in the field, administrators and other groups will participate. It is intended to be able to address the role of coastal and marine ecosystems in the process of absorption and retention of CO2. CO2 is the greenhouse gas that is released the most into the atmosphere today and the one with the highest concentration (about 400 ppm).
This type of CO2 absorption into the atmosphere by coastal and marine ecosystems is called "Blue Carbon". These conferences are within the European Life BlueNatura project and whose inauguration was attended by the General Director of Natural Environment Management and Protected Spaces of the Board, Javier Madrid, and the director of IUCN-Med, Antonio Troya.
In order to know the potential for blue carbon that our ecosystems have, it is necessary to be able to create a collective consciousness about this potential. In this way, they are encouraged to work with local populations to be able to understand together how the environment that surrounds us can help against climate change and not a problem as many people see it.
The more you can know about the oceans and their function, the better. The oceans have several vital functions that maintain the balance of the planet. It acts as an important carbon sink, it also absorbs heat and produces half the oxygen that we breathe.
The Life BlueNatura project is a project that innovates when it comes to improving knowledge about the function and role of wetlands, marshes and seagrass beds on the Mediterranean coast in the absorption and retention of greenhouse gases. Marine protected areas function as places where the function of absorbing CO2 can be used more because they are places where marine vegetation develops better. Being protected and having greater control over the degrading activities that take place in that space, there is less impact that reduces biodiversity and the ecological balance of the ecosystem. Therefore, marine protected areas are a good weapon in the fight against climate change because they help with absorption and maintenance of biodiversity
These days "Conservation of coastal carbon sinks" They are held at La Térmica, in Malaga and their objective is to examine the current knowledge on coastal and marine ecosystems in the face of climate change, both from an ecological and socio-economic perspective.
It will be possible to learn about projects and experiences that will illustrate various aspects of governance, carbon markets, and the knowledge and value of the services provided by these marine and coastal ecosystems, such as marshes and seagrasses, to local populations.
The Life Blue Natura project is coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, as we have previously named and, in addition, it already has as associates the Environment and Water Agency, the Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes of the Higher Research Council Scientists, the IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation and Asociación Hombre y Territorio.
This project has a duration of 4 years. It started last year and has an expiration date of 2019. It has a budget for its performances of $2.513.792, is funded by the European LIFE Program and co-financed by CEPSA.