Strengthening Blue Carbon Management Capacities in the Coral Triangle

Challenge

Blue carbon ecosystems in the Coral Triangle face degradation from land conversion, storms, and weak institutional capacities.

Solution

Workshops, citizen science tools, and participatory mapping empowered stakeholders to monitor, manage, and protect blue carbon ecosystems.

Overview

Blue carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes, are vital for carbon storage, coastal protection, and livelihoods. However, in the Coral Triangle, they are under pressure from typhoons, land-use conversion, and limited management capacity.

With support from the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), Ryo Kohsaka (Nagoya University, Japan) led a project to strengthen local capacities in Indonesia and the Philippines through workshops, participatory tools, and collaborative research.

Capacity development workshops

Four capacity development workshops were held between 2021 and 2023 – two online and two in person, with 66 local stakeholders across four study sites and another 48 participants from universities, national agencies, and NGOs.

In Eastern Samar, Philippines, stakeholders used strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) and driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) analyses to examine blue carbon ecosystem (BCE) management, revealing challenges such as weak law enforcement, overlapping mandates, and limited technical capacity.

In Indonesia, an online training introduced socio‑ecological applications for mangrove monitoring to 38 participants from government agencies, universities, and NGOs. Activities highlighted both threats, such as aquaculture expansion and storm damage, and pathways for improved management.

Citizen science and monitoring tools

The project ran monitoring workshops that used mobile apps and participatory mapping, trained three local enumerators, and used community perceptions as a monitoring tool. Participants learned to visualize results and share findings, and the report notes that access to such tools can help local groups become less dependent on outside organizations.

Research and academic outputs

Collaborative research visits and joint publications advanced regional scientific capacity. Nine peer-reviewed papers were published, covering topics such as mangrove drivers in Indonesia, seagrass restoration as a nature-based solution, coastal management plans in the Philippines, and blue carbon research trends.

These outputs helped raise the visibility of social science perspectives in blue carbon management and contributed evidence to policymaking.

Outcomes and impacts

The project boosted local awareness of blue carbon benefits and threats, strengthened stakeholder participation in management activities, and promoted citizen science approaches. Community engagement improved appreciation of scientific investigations and may have contributed to reduced illegal activities in BCEs.

Locally adapted guidelines for monitoring and participatory mapping were created, tested, and shared. Regional collaborators advanced their academic careers through publications, and the team contributed a perspective article on engaging local policymakers in blue carbon and climate dialogues.

By project close, capacity was improved across multiple levels, from local communities to national agencies, supporting more inclusive and science-based management of BCEs in the Coral Triangle.

Project details

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) under its Scientific Capacity Development Programme (CAPaBLE). Acknowledgements also go to the Blue CARES Project for initial data and support, local governments of Lawaan, Balangiga, Balangkayan, and Salcedo in Eastern Samar, the Research Centre for Oceanography (BRIN) and YKAN in Indonesia, and colleagues at Nagoya University, University of Tokyo, University of the Philippines, Kobe University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Universitas Padjadjaran, and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia.

Related information

• Project Permalink
• Project Final Report
• Quevedo, J.M.D., Uchiyama, Y. and Kohsaka, R. (2023). Progress of blue carbon research: 12 years of global trends based on content analysis of peer-reviewed and ‘gray literature’ documents. Ocean & Coastal Management, 236, p.106495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106495
• Tajima, Y., Hashimoto, S., Dasgupta, R. and Takahashi, Y. (2023). Spatial characterization of cultural ecosystem services in the Ishigaki Island of Japan: A comparison between residents and tourists. Ecosystem Services, 60, p.101520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2023.101520
• Rifai, H., Quevedo, J. M. D., Lukman, K. M., Hernawan, U. E., Alifatri, L. O., Risandi, J., … & Kohsaka, R. (2023). Understanding community awareness of seagrass ecosystem services for their blue carbon conservation in marine protected areas: A case study of Karimunjawa National Park. Ecological Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12391
• Quevedo, J. M. D., Ferrera, C. M., Faylona, M. G. P. G., & Kohsaka, R. (2024). A multi-framework analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions in developing a localized blue carbon ecosystems strategy in Eastern Samar, Philippines. Ambio Vol. 53, Issue 5, pp. 776–794. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01972-8.
• Alsaaideh, B., Quevedo, J. M. D., Lukman, K.M., Uchiyama, Y., Sofue, Y., & Kohsaka, R. (2025). Blue carbon ecosystems in the Coral Triangle: A perceptive approach to climate adaptation. APN Science Bulletin, 14(1), 190–199. https://doi.org/10.30852/sb.2024.2790
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