Blue & Teal Carbon potential in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth
Project type: Flagship
Theme alignment: Climate Mitigation​
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Project Lead: Sabine Dittmann (Flinders University)
Project Team: Luke Mosley, Alice Jones (University of Adelaide) & others
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Project dates: June/July 2024 to March 2026
Climate change will affect the ecosystems and people in the CLLMM region. Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCE) like saltmarsh, seagrass and supratidal forest, as well as Teal Carbon Ecosystems (TCE) such as freshwater wetlands, can be part of the solution by capturing and storing carbon. To lay the foundations for realising Blue & Teal Carbon wetland restoration in the CLLMM region and adjacent wetlands, this project comprises four main tasks.
These tasks and their objectives are:
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Blue & Teal Carbon as a nature-based solution to climate change - Taking stock of available knowledge, detecting main environmental drivers for BCE and TCE, identifying carbon storage potential of key sites, and identifying sites with the highest potential for carbon restoration outcomes.
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Values and benefits of Blue & Teal Carbon for First Nations - Identification of traditional uses and values of BCE and TCE in the region, and evaluation of opportunities for cultural benefits through carbon restoration projects.
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Co-benefits from Blue & Teal Carbon conservation and restoration - Determining biodiversity benefits of BCE and TCE restoration, and assessing shoreline and coastal protection through BCE and TCE.
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Opportunities for Blue & Teal Carbon - Assessing effects of climate change on BCE and TCE, and estimating carbon abatement from potential carbon projects at suitable sites.
The outputs of the project will include an inventory and metadatabase of knowledge and data, maps and reports.
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The project will involve a combination of desk-top work, field investigations, workshops and training. Field study sites will be representative for certain vegetation types and settings, and with different ages of revegetation to allow ‘space for time’ substitution. Approaches include:
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Stocktake of available data and creation of a metadatabase and map
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Targeted field surveys to measure carbon stocks and assess environmental drivers affecting BCE and TCE.
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Workshops on traditional use and values of wetland vegetation.
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Field measurements of biodiversity, surface elevation changes and shoreline protection.
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Generation of maps to synthesise outcomes and illustrate area of greatest potential and threats.
Calculation of potential carbon offset and carbon credit values.
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The project has strong links with community, First Nations, Councils, NGOs, and consultants. Representatives from these stakeholder groups have contributed to project scoping and will play an active part in the delivery of the project. There will also be opportunities for networking and capacity building through learning skills in field-based carbon assessment methods and taking part in workshops.
ABOUT US >
We are a new, collaborative partnership working to create locally-driven and inclusive knowledge creation and exchange to inform decision making in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth region. We acknowledge people of the Ngarrindjeri and First Nations of the South East as traditional owners of the region in which we work.
The Goyder Institute for Water Research will receive $8 million from the Australian Government over 4 years from 2023-26 to work with communities to investigate the impacts of climate change on the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) region.
The Goyder Institute for Water Research is a research partnership of the South Australian Government through the Department for Environment and Water, CSIRO, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.