The Man and the Biosphere (MaB) Programme’s Role Towards the Effective Management of Blue Carbon Ecosystems

Climate change has become a cross-cutting global reality, affecting humanity’s energy-, food-, and water-security. Therefore, investigating options towards climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience are urgently required. UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves already plays several very important roles, including awareness-raising, increasing the level of community-shock-resielience through improved knowledge and skills, via science-based environmental education. Moreover, coastal Biosphere Reserves, with their seagrass, salt marsh and mangrove ecosystems are known to sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon, and lock it away for very long time-periods, in their semi-sub-hydric soils. This contribution discusses UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in the context of blue carbon ecosystem management, and the contemporary and future roles of Biosphere Reserves.