Abstract
The Blue Carbon and Blue Co-Benefits Research Project is an integrated partnership between the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), University of Queensland (UQ), Griffith University (GU) and University of New South Wales (UNSW) to deliver hydrodynamic modelling and baseline surveys of soil, water, flora and fauna to support the Blue Heart’s Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Program. This project will collect data to demonstrate carbon abatement and multiple co-benefits of tidal wetland restoration, under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) Blue Carbon Method, and will support registration and reporting requirements, and deliver hydrodynamic modelling to support the estimation of potential future carbon abatement at selected Blue Heart sites. The results and abatement estimates from this work will allow verification of the ERF Blue Carbon Method, and will support method improvement by delivering regionally-specific abatement values. The Blue Carbon and Blue Co-Benefits Research Project will yield baseline data that is essential for describing changes in the diversity, condition and fish habitat values of marine plant assemblages, and the composition and abundance of iconic animals and listed pest species. It will measure the ecological condition of multiple eligible environmental co-benefits, including wetlands, coastal ecosystems, threatened ecosystems, threatened wildlife and native vegetation, to support project registration and endorsement under the Accounting for Nature Framework and inclusion in the Land Restoration Fund Register.