Coastal Wetlands Conservation on the Global Stage

The Pew Charitable Trusts works with nations around the world to build global recognition of the critical role of coastal wetlands—mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes—in carbon sequestration, climate resilience, and biodiversity protection. Pew’s advancing coastal wetlands conservation project provides technical and research assistance to help partner countries incorporate commitments to conserve and restore coastal wetlands into their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, implement their NDC commitments, and strengthen the integration of coastal wetland ecosystems into national climate strategies.

Coastal wetlands are also known as “blue carbon” ecosystems because they sequester and store significant amounts of carbon, mostly in their soils. They also absorb energy from storm surges, limit shoreline erosion, filter water, and provide nursery grounds for diverse species, all of which help people and ecosystems adapt and become more resilient to a changing climate. Additionally coastal wetlands are the only three marine ecosystems recognized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as being able to measurably contribute to countries’ emissions reduction strategies.