A New Blueprint for Ocean Conservation

Summary

In 2025, Beneath The Waves committed to scaling its successful blue carbon conservation program to Bonaire, Saint Maarten, and Turks and Caicos over a three-year period. The commitment focuses on mapping seagrass ecosystems, collecting blue carbon and biodiversity data, and establishing marine protected areas. With a total estimated investment of more than $4 million and an anticipated direct impact on 590 individuals and an indirect impact on more than 16,500 people living in coastal regions, this initiative supports the inclusion of seagrass in national climate strategies. Through capacity-building and scientific engagement, the project aims to enhance coastal resilience, create policy pathways for long-term ocean protection, and unlock new opportunities in the blue economy by 2028.

Approach

Beneath The Waves commits to scaling their blue carbon program to at least three other countries in the wider Caribbean over the next three years, and therefore working with decision makers in each country to develop a national plan of action for blue carbon projects.

As such, they commit to mapping the spatial extent of seagrass in selected nations, using remote sensing data as well as empirical diver surveys. Working alongside local partners, they will establish and monitor new seagrass blue carbon plot sites. Within these plot sites, they will collect blue carbon stock and sequestration data through sediment coring and describe biodiversity rates using remote camera surveys. With this data, they will estimate future blue carbon values and project benefits with projection modeling. Data will be used to advance marine protections for seagrass by working with national environmental ministries.

Beneath The Waves will work alongside regional and local partners such The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, and others to support ongoing projects to establish meaningful marine protected areas in the region. Moreover, they will provide all scientific outputs of their activities to ministries in each country to support the inclusion of seagrass carbon sequestration in their NDCs.

These projects will support the ongoing development of a network of marine protected areas that enhance coastal resilience and create new value in the blue economy in selected nations. In addition to augmenting existing conservation efforts, their activities will create a credible and science-based foundation to lay the groundwork for translating projects into financial opportunities in the region.

Action Plan

2025-2026: Launch blue carbon initiatives in select Caribbean nations by scaling existing blueprint for blue carbon projects, building on what has been done previously in the region. This includes national-scale seagrass mapping, baseline carbon stock quantification, and rapid biodiversity surveys. These efforts will be supported by formal agreements with government agencies and local partners to ensure sovereign engagement and transparency in the early stages of project development. By the end of Year 1 (December 2026) , scientific baselining activities will be completed in at least 2 of the 3 countries, with draft reports shared with government stakeholders to inform the development of national blue carbon policies.
2026-2027: Focus on translating science into policy and project implementation. A regional legislative framework for blue carbon ecosystem inclusion in marine spatial planning and climate strategies will be developed in collaboration with legal experts, government representatives, and multilateral partners (as done in The Bahamas) . During this year, also to begin working with communities to develop and workshop potential blue carbon project structures, including pre-feasibility assessments, benefit-sharing plans, and potential pathways for entry into verified carbon markets.
2027-2028: Project outcomes will begin to be reported annually, including validated carbon stock data, community engagement metrics, and habitat conservation milestones. In addition, capacity building will intensify, leveraging legislative actions into new training programs for local scientists, policymakers, and project developers. Beneath The Waves takes this approach to prepare each country to independently sustain and scale their own blue carbon work. By mid-2028, countries involved in the program will have national blue carbon implementation strategies in place, with verified data, legislative guidance, and institutional capacity to launch and finance their own projects. A final regional report will be issued at the conclusion of the three-year period, summarizing all outputs, outcomes and impact.

Background

Seagrass meadows are among the most threatened coastal ecosystems globally, declining at an estimated rate of 7% per year (Waycott et al. 2009) . Despite covering less than 0.2% of the ocean floor, these underwater plants store approximately 10% of the ocean’s carbon and can sequester carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests (Duarte et al. 2005; Fourqurean et al. 2012) . Research also demonstrates the key role these ecosystems play as essential habitat for marine biodiversity, supporting critical life stages of commercially-important fish species, as well as threatened species such as sea turtles and sharks. Additional ecosystem services include coastal protection and bolstering resilience against storms, contributing to a total economic value of over $1 trillion (UNEP 2020) .

In the wider Caribbean region, which includes over 30 nations and territories, seagrass meadows are extensive, yet under-mapped and largely unprotected. Moreover, Small Island Developing States in the region face accelerating impacts from climate change, erosion, and economic dependency on tourism. Blue carbon projects are particularly well-suited for addressing these intertwined challenges, yet the region has largely been left out of the dialogue.

Seagrass for climate mitigation has, however, been incorporated into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of at least six countries in the Caribbean region, and seagrass blue carbon projects could generate revenues from the sale of carbon credits on verified carbon markets, while simultaneously strengthening biodiversity conservation and local resilience. With inclusive implementation and focused philanthropy and investment, blue carbon projects can serve as a “win-win,” to address climate mitigation and equitable development across the Caribbean.

Progress Update

Partnership Opportunities

Beneath The Waves is seeking additional implementing partners to support the communication of project outcomes, as well as connections to philanthropic or financial partners.,Beneath The Waves can offer in-depth expertise to other organizations operating in the ocean space, particularly NGOs navigating legislative processes or collaborating with sovereign governments on innovative projects. They can also advise on scientific methodologies and the interpretation of ocean and climate-related results in a conservation framework.