Delta Blue Carbon
Mangrove Restoration Project
Nature-Based Carbon Removal
2015
Indus Delta, Sindh, Pakistan
The Delta Blue Carbon Project is restoring 865,000 acres of degraded mangrove forests in the Indus Delta, Pakistan. Mangroves are highly effective carbon sinks, absorbing up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests. This project is not only combating climate change but is also providing vital ecosystem services, enhancing biodiversity, and improving the livelihoods of local communities.
Project Timelines
Vintage: 2015
Years Active: 2015 - 2024
Project Lifetime: 2015 - 2075
Why this matters
Mangrove forests are incredibly efficient carbon sinks, storing up to four times more carbon than other tropical forests. The Delta Blue Carbon project demonstrates the immense scale on which "blue carbon" ecosystem projects can mitigate climate change. By restoring these vital coastal forests, the project not only sequesters carbon but also safeguards biodiversity, strengthens coastal resilience, and empowers local communities. To date, the project has restored 185,000 acres of coastal wetlands and removed 3.2 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Impact
Estimated to remove 2.4 million metric tons of CO2e per year.
Estimated to remove 142 million metric tons of CO2e over the project lifetime.
Restores 865,000 acres of degraded mangrove forests and tidal wetlands over the project lifetime.
Creates hundreds of jobs and improves livelihoods for 49,000 local people.
Co-benefits
Creates sustainable livelihoods and hundreds of jobs in planting, monitoring, and "ward and watch" programs.
Enhances biodiversity by providing habitat for numerous species of fish, birds, and invertebrates including 11 globally threatened species.
Restoration efforts protect coastal communities from storm surges, erosion, and sea-level rise.
Improves water quality through natural filtration processes, and facilitates access to clean drinking water.
Empowers local communities through education and training in resource management, and increased access to healthcare.
This project’s activities meet the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Benefits
Significant Carbon Sequestration: Mangrove forests are highly effective carbon sinks, storing large amounts of carbon in their biomass and soils.
Coastal Protection and Resilience: Mangrove forests act as natural barriers, protecting coastal communities and coastlines from erosion, storms, floods, and sea-level rise.
Biodiversity Conservation: Mangrove ecosystems provide critical habitat and support a rich diversity of plant and animal life, including many endangered species.
Economic Benefits: Large integrated projects, like Delta Blue, create jobs and provide alternative income sources for local communities, improving their livelihoods and well-being.
Water Quality Improvement: Mangroves filter pollutants and improve water quality in coastal areas.
Risks
Sea-level Rise: Rising sea levels could inundate and damage mangrove forests, potentially degrading restored areas and releasing stored carbon.
Extreme Weather Events: Increased frequency and intensity of storms could damage or destroy restored areas.
Monitoring Challenges: Accurately monitoring nature-based carbon sequestration and other project outcomes over a large area and long timeframe can be complex.
Pollution: Pollution from industrial activities and agricultural runoff could negatively impact mangrove health and carbon sequestration potential.
Community Dependence: Over-reliance on the project for income could create vulnerability for local communities if the project faces challenges.
Ratings
Registry
Durability
Additionality
BBB
Good
ID 2250
B+
BBB
Attributes
Very Good
Mangrove forests are relatively long-lived ecosystems with the potential to store carbon for centuries.
Pakistani law protects the region from deforestation and degradation in perpetuity.
Essentially no fire risk, but sea level rise and storm surge present some risk to carbon storage due to erosion, though the project has planned for these contingencies.
Mangrove saplings are at some risk from predation by beetles, fungal infections, and porcupines.
No detectable loss in full-grown mangrove covering since start of the project.
Community involvement and Mangrove Stewardship Agreements enhance long-term protection.
Very Good
The project exists in an economic and regulatory context that requires sale of carbon credits to achieve climate impact targets.
Estimates indicate project activities sequester carbon at ~95% above baseline.
Restoration efforts outside the project boundaries only started relatively recently, and the project clearly has accelerated reforestation over a much larger area.
Historical evidence suggests restoration is creating mangrove forest where none existed previously.
Carbon finance provides the necessary incentive for restoration and conservation, in part because mangrove forests offer little commercial value.
Sources: Verra, Delta Blue Carbon, Renoster
Verifiability
Very Good
The project uses a recognized methodology and best practices (VM0033) and undergoes regular monitoring to ensure accurate carbon accounting.
Four independent third-party rating agencies scientifically evaluated the project and assigned medium-high confidence that project credits represent a unique and permanent emission reduction of 1 metric ton.
Carbon storage estimates are built on the most up-to-date data and models, employing ground-truthing as well as remote-sensing data over time.
Technical documentation and carbon credit transaction records for this project are available on public registries.
Sources: Verra, Pollination Group Report, Renoster
Carbon Protocols
Indus Delta, Sindh, Pakistan
Photos
