State Government funding for ‘blue carbon’ projects to restore seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves

Storing carbon in seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves is a future money-spinner with extra benefits for water quality, biodiversity and nature-based tourism.

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The State Government is investing $240,000 in three “blue carbon” research projects, exploring the potential to capture and store carbon in seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves.

Scientists have found far more carbon dioxide can be stored in watery environments than on land, raising the prospect of a future money-spinner for coastal land managers in this state.

Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs described the three projects as “a stepping stone” to restoring and protecting Adelaide’s coastal environments, with extra benefits for water quality, biodiversity and nature-based tourism.

“The projects will increase our understanding of the real carbon storage potential of coastal habitats and they will also help our understanding of carbon market opportunities,” he said.

“This knowledge will help enable coastal managers to take advantage of future carbon market opportunities, for example, through a national blue carbon credit scheme.”

Coinvestment across the universities means the $240,000 from the Natural Resources Management Levy has leveraged projects with a combined value of over $660,000.

The research will:

Map coastal wetland blue carbon potential in the Adelaide Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management region;

Explore the potential for seagrass recovery and rehabilitation to enhance blue carbon in SA; and

Introduce tidal flow to salt ponds and stranded saltmarsh for Dry Creek and the Samphire Coast.

University of Adelaide PhD student Hannah Auricht, 26, enjoyed soil sampling to assess carbon content in saltmarsh near St Kilda, not far from the Dry Creek salt pans.

“When we were out in the field it was just really beautiful,” she said.

“Only good can come from blue carbon research, so it’s pretty exciting.

“People are becoming more and more aware of the importance of blue carbon.”

She said the saltmarsh looked bright red and green in broad daylight and “purply-turquoise” at sunset or sunrise, with birds flying overhead.

“If those systems are lost it’s devastating for a whole range of reasons,” Ms Auricht said.

“We need those ecosystems to soak up carbon from the atmosphere, that’s really important, but also from a mental health perspective, if you talk to social scientists they’ll tell you there’s research that says being in those spaces is really good for you as well, there’s all kinds of reasons why it’s important.”