Generating blue carbon credits through conservation of Posidonia oceanica: experience from the LIFE SeaForest project
10 affiliations
- 1Laboratory of Experimental Oceanology and Marine Ecology, Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Port of Civitavecchia, Civitavecchia, RM, Italy
- 2CMCC Foundation–Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Lecce, Italy
- 3ISPRA Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy
- 4CarbonSink Group S.r.l., Milan, Italy
- 5Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impact and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS), National Research Council (CNR), Torregrande, OR, Italy
- 6DREAM Italia soc. coop., Pratovecchio Stia, AR, Italy
- 7Ente Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago di La Maddalena, La Maddalena, SS, Italy
- 8Ente Parco Nazionale dell’Asinara – Area Marina Protetta, Porto Torres, SS, Italy
- 9Ente Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, Vallo della Lucania, SA, Italy
- 100Department for Innovation in Biological, Agri-Food and Forestry Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
Abstract
IntroductionPosidonia oceanica meadows are key blue carbon ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea, storing substantial carbon within biomass and underlying sediments. Unregulated recreational anchoring contributes to meadow degradation and may compromise the retention of previously stored carbon. The LIFE SeaForest project (LIFE17 CCM/IT/000121) aimed to reduce carbon losses associated with P. oceanica degradation through integrated management, monitoring, conservation, and restoration actions across three Mediterranean protected coastal areas.MethodsA comprehensive ex-ante accounting framework was developed to estimate anchoring-related potential carbon-stock losses, expressed in CO2-equivalent units, under baseline (business-as-usual) and project scenarios. The methodology considered vessel-size classes and substrate categories associated with P. oceanica (rocky, sandy, and degraded dead matte substrates). Project actions included environmentally friendly mooring systems, sustainable anchoring management plans, and regulation of recreational boating through a dedicated digital user platform.ResultsOver the ten-year accounting period, cumulative Net Emission Reductions (NERs) exceeded 5,000 tCO2eq across the three project areas. This value represents net avoided potential carbon-stock loss, rather than directly quantified atmospheric CO2 emissions, and identifies a potential SeaForest credit volume subject to monitoring, verification, and certification.DiscussionThe proposed framework represents one of the first structured ex-ante approaches for estimating potential blue carbon credits from conservation measures that reduce anchoring impacts in Mediterranean P. oceanica meadows. Although further validation and long-term monitoring are needed, the SeaForest approach provides a potentially replicable framework for blue carbon initiatives, sustainable coastal management, and climate-mitigation policies in the Mediterranean region.
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BibTeX
@article{bonamano2026generating,
title = {{Generating blue carbon credits through conservation of Posidonia oceanica: experience from the LIFE SeaForest project}},
author = {Simone Bonamano and Simone Bonamano and Matteo Bellotta and Marina Pulcini and Silvia Maltese and Michele Rumiz and Simone Simeone and Fabio Antognarelli and Mariasole Galfrè and Alice Madonia and Arianna Resnati and Giulio Ermenegildo Maria Plastina and Aldo Zanello and Francesco De Luca and Riccardo Valentini and Marcello Miozzo and Marco Marcelli and Marco Marcelli},
journal = {Frontiers in Marine Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmars.2026.1910928},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1910928},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Generating blue carbon credits through conservation of Posidonia oceanica: experience from the LIFE SeaForest project
AU - Simone Bonamano
AU - Simone Bonamano
AU - Matteo Bellotta
AU - Marina Pulcini
AU - Silvia Maltese
AU - Michele Rumiz
AU - Simone Simeone
AU - Fabio Antognarelli
AU - Mariasole Galfrè
AU - Alice Madonia
AU - Arianna Resnati
AU - Giulio Ermenegildo Maria Plastina
AU - Aldo Zanello
AU - Francesco De Luca
AU - Riccardo Valentini
AU - Marcello Miozzo
AU - Marco Marcelli
AU - Marco Marcelli
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Frontiers in Marine Science
DO - 10.3389/fmars.2026.1910928
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1910928
AB - IntroductionPosidonia oceanica meadows are key blue carbon ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea, storing substantial carbon within biomass and underlying sediments. Unregulated recreational anchoring contributes to meadow degradation and may compromise the retention of previously stored carbon. The LIFE SeaForest project (LIFE17 CCM/IT/000121) aimed to reduce carbon losses associated with P. oceanica degradation through integrated management, monitoring, conservation, and restoration actions across three Mediterranean protected coastal areas.MethodsA comprehensive ex-ante accounting framework was developed to estimate anchoring-related potential carbon-stock losses, expressed in CO2-equivalent units, under baseline (business-as-usual) and project scenarios. The methodology considered vessel-size classes and substrate categories associated with P. oceanica (rocky, sandy, and degraded dead matte substrates). Project actions included environmentally friendly mooring systems, sustainable anchoring management plans, and regulation of recreational boating through a dedicated digital user platform.ResultsOver the ten-year accounting period, cumulative Net Emission Reductions (NERs) exceeded 5,000 tCO2eq across the three project areas. This value represents net avoided potential carbon-stock loss, rather than directly quantified atmospheric CO2 emissions, and identifies a potential SeaForest credit volume subject to monitoring, verification, and certification.DiscussionThe proposed framework represents one of the first structured ex-ante approaches for estimating potential blue carbon credits from conservation measures that reduce anchoring impacts in Mediterranean P. oceanica meadows. Although further validation and long-term monitoring are needed, the SeaForest approach provides a potentially replicable framework for blue carbon initiatives, sustainable coastal management, and climate-mitigation policies in the Mediterranean region.
SN - 2296-7745
ER -