Blue carbon futures
Blue carbon is carbon stored in coast and marine ecosystems, such as saltmarshes, mangroves, seagrasses, tidal flats and supratidal forests. Find out about the work being undertaken to conserve and restore these coastal habitats.
Blue carbon is carbon stored in coast and marine ecosystems. In Adelaide, this includes saltmarshes, mangroves, seagrasses, tidal flats and supratidal forests (forests above the high tide line). These can capture and store large amounts of carbon in plants and sediment.
Over the last decade, works have been undertaken to conserve and restore coastal habitats like these. This has included working with our partners to investigate carbon values of certain habitats and create demonstration projects, like the Dry Creek Salt Field tidal restoration project, which shows how improving an environment can help it capture more carbon.
Historically carbon offset schemes have focused on tree planting and agricultural projects. We're interested in better understanding how coastal environments could play a part too, particularly since they may capture carbon a lot faster than forests on land.
Through our Blue Carbon Futures Grants Program, we're aiming to better understand what’s possible and improve our knowledge about sites on the Adelaide coast, to prepare for a time when blue carbon can be traded.
Delivering this program is one way that we are helping support the implementation of the Blue Carbon Strategy for South Australia.
Green Adelaide's Blue Carbon Futures Grants Program provides opportunities for organisations and individuals in the Green Adelaide region to undertake projects that focus on blue carbon ecosystem protection and restoration.
It aims to support collaboration and partnerships to better understand the blue carbon potential of saltmarsh, mangrove and seagrass habitats, potential projects and carbon sequestration opportunities, and improve management and community understanding of the values of these habitats,
Successful projects should aim to address knowledge gaps, provide information or case studies that may guide market-based approaches or incentives to conserve or restore blue carbon habitats in the region, or assist local government and other landholders to plan for blue carbon opportunities, tidal reconnection and conservation of habitat, or improve community understanding and conservation of blue carbon habitats.
Find out more about the program, including what types of projects are eligible and who can apply, in our application guidelines.
Applications are now open for the 2024/25 Blue Carbon Futures Grants Program.
We are seeking applications from researchers, institutions, local coastal councils and non-government organisations for a share of up to $300,000 in funding to deliver projects that help protect or restore our blue carbon ecosystems.
Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 24 February 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of April.
Projects must be initiated by May 2025 and delivered by late December 2026.
Ready to apply? Fill out the application form at the link below.
Find out more about previous recipients of Green Adelaide's Blue Carbon Futures grants.
| Project | Organisations | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | ||
| Blue Carbon opportunities through tidal restoration and avoided disturbance | Flinders University (lead), University of Adelaide, Airborne Research Australia, and the Department for Environment and Water | To understand what tidal flows are, think of the natural rise and fall of the ocean – and then imagine something being put in the way of the waves, stopping them from going where they normally would. Reintroducing tidal flows to coastal areas can help restore them and also increase their ability to store carbon. This project will figure out how much carbon can be captured by the Dry Creek Salt Fields when tidal flows are reconnected. This information will be used to give a dollar value to tidal |
| Carbon storage of coastal sedgeland in relation to use of fire for habitat enhancement | Flinders University (lead), University of Adelaide, EntoSearch, Green Adelaide | This project will find out how much carbon stored is stored in Gahnia sedgeland, a type of nationally threatened coastal saltmarsh. Restoring this habitat and, in particular, thatching grass (Gahnia filum), has been an important part of making the reintroduction of the regionally extinct yellowish sedge skipper butterfly possible. Fire and slashing also seem to be important in maintaining the habitat for the butterfly and so, this project will also explore carbon stored in various stages of burnt and unburnt sedgelands. |
| Advancing the mapping of Green Adelaide’s blue carbon | University of Adelaide (lead), Unmanned Research Aircraft Facility, University of Adelaide, Flinders University | This project will improve blue carbon maps in the Green Adelaide region by sampling carbon stocks (how much is stored) at a range of sites. This will add to data collected about coastal ecosystems across South Australia. Drones will be used to track vegetation changes at Mutton Cove, a blue carbon site, which was re-connected to tidal flows in 2016. |
| Potential for Zostera seagrass recovery and rehabilitation to enhance blue carbon in SA | University of Adelaide (lead), PIRSA/SARDI Aquatic Sciences | This project will assess whether it is feasible to use Zostera, a nearshore seagrass commonly known as eelgrass, to enhance blue carbon storage off the Adelaide coast. Nearshore seagrasses are important because they help hold sand together, reducing waves and currents, as well as providing a home and food for marine animals. The project will include assessing the right time to collect seagrass seeds and trial planting some of them near Torrens Island. If successful, this will open up opportunities for citizen science seagrass rehabilitation – imaging being part of that planting day! |
| Round 2 | ||
| Green Adelaide’s blue carbon C-scape | University of Adelaide | This project will investigate the coastal landscape of metropolitan Adelaide. Using an archive of sediment samples from seagrass, mangrove, saltmarsh and supratidal melalueuca, the project will help establish blue carbon connectivity across SA’s coastal seascapes. |
| Optimising reef restorations to enhance blue carbon habitats | University of Adelaide | This project will demonstrate opportunities for blue carbon collection through the restoration of seagrass meadows and oyster reefs. This will include investigating whether constructed reeds create conditions that stabilise sediment and enhance restoration and recovery of seagrass meadows. |
| Blue Carbon opportunities through tidal restoration and avoided disturbance | Flinders University, University of Adelaide, Airborne Research Australia, | For this project, Flinders University will partner on research with Airborne Research Australia and University of Adelaide, to measure the effects from a recent disturbance event on Blue Carbon habitats, by quantifying the carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions in areas of dieback and potentially further impacted areas of saltmarsh and mangrove. |
| Blue Carbon: Opportunities, examples and advances | Airborne Research SA Ltd, University of Adelaide, Flinders University | For this project, Airborne Research Australia will partner on research with Flinders University and University of Adelaide to support the development of Blue Carbon projects through guidance in applying the new method, increasing the knowledge on carbon storage from a tidal trial case study, and advancing the understanding of regional carbon values and potential impacts on blue carbon habitats. |
| Round 3 | ||
| Blue Carbon: co-benefit and assessment advances | Aquatic Biosecurity Pty Ltd, Flinders University | This research project will look at advancing 2 significant areas of blue carbon, quantifying the benefits of tidal restoration and improved assessment of blue carbon ecosystems. Both of these are relevant for future adoptions of the ‘System of Environmental Economic Accounting’ for blue carbon projects. |
| Blue Carbon: Navigating the legal regime for blue carbon projects in South Australia | University of Adelaide | This project will undertake the first detailed analysis of new Commonwealth and South Australian laws around tidal restoration projects under the Emissions Reduction Fund Blue Carbon method, including mapping existing policy and laws and conducting workshops with key stakeholders. |
| Blue Carbon: Future for man-made Port Gawler enclosed saltwater lakes | Airborne Research SA Ltd | This project will gather characterising data from Middle Beach and Port Gawler lakes to determine potential areas to rehabilitate with seagrass to benefit fisheries, saltmarshes and shore bird habitat. |
Round 4 | ||
| Future Opportunities for the Dry Creek Salt Fields | University of Adelaide (lead) with UniSA and Buckland Park Dry Creek Pty Ltd | This project will create a masterplan for these salt fields that supports coastal restoration, as well as development and environmental aspirations of the leaseholder. |
| Recovering and Restoring Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Port River | University of Adelaide (lead) with Flinders Ports Holdings | This project will assess and monitor how changes in vegetated coastal ecosystems (seagrass, mangrove, and saltmarsh) correspond with changes in blue carbon storage at two study sites, Mutton Cove and the Port River. |
| The Shrubby Samphire – its Blue Carbon Biomass, Wood Boring and Biodiversity’ | Flinders University | This project will survey carbon stock in 5 saltmarshes and analyse stock change as a result from shrubby samphire dieback. The work will also examine impacts of wood boring damage and develop a simple, non-destructive method for assessing damage. |