Mangrove forests are important ecosystems providing direct and indirect marine-based ecosystem services, including blue carbon. However, mangrove deforestation and forest degradation remain alarming issues in many Asia-Pacific countries. One of the main reason for this situation is a lack of incentives for local people to protect and establish mangrove forests. Payment for forest ecosystem services (PFES) has been an effective mechanism to encourage local people to participate in terrestrial forest protection and this proposal will evaluate their utility for mangrove forests. For mangroves, implementation of PFES focusing on carbon services can bring co-benefits, including (1) carbon mitigation through sequestration, (2) climate adaptation through the protection of mangrove forests, and (3) local livelihood improvement through the payment incentives for mangrove protection. However, the level of success will depend on the national context.

This project aims to identify the feasibility of establishing a PFES mechanism for carbon sequestration services in the community and protected mangrove ecosystems using Vietnam and Bangladesh as case studies, with expert input from Australia and P.R. China. Results of this project will contribute to the creation of a basic approach for Asia-Pacific countries providing a self-operated payment mechanism for mangrove carbon services within the context of a lack of an international carbon market.