Quezon City, Philippines, 26 February 2025 – Yesterday, the Government of The Philippines, together with the World Economic Forum, kicked-off its National Blue Carbon Action Partnership (NBCAP).

The Philippines first announced joining the Blue Carbon Action Partnership by signing an MoU during COP28 in Dubai. Since then members of government and civil society have been working together, supported by the World Economic Forum, to build momentum. Now the official kick-off of an NBCAP will convene stakeholders from the government, local communities and NGOs on the ground to scale up production of high-quality blue carbon.

The best blue carbon ecosystems – such as mangroves and seagrasses – can sequester up to five times more carbon per acre than tropical rainforests and the Philippines has 700 billion metric tons of carbon sequestered in coastal habitats. Yet despite their environmental importance, they face environmental degradation due to overexploitation and conversion to agriculture, salt ponds and industry settlements. Indeed, the Philippines has lost more than half of its mangrove ecosystems, which have declined from an estimated 450,000 hectares in 1920 to 311,400 in 2024. Now the country is taking significant steps toward effective mangrove conservation and rehabilitation.

Restoring those ecosystems will be of huge benefit to both people and the planet. Globally, large-scale protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems could remove around 3% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. But it would also deliver further benefits locally, such as supporting fishery production, shoreline protection, provision of habitats for wildlife and migratory species, flood water attenuation, nutrient cycling, pollution buffering and more.

Overseen by the Blue Carbon Action Partnership and supported by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines NBCAP serves as a multi-stakeholder platform spearheaded by the global science-led conservation organization Zoological Society of London for the Philippines (ZSL). In order to scale up initiatives for high-quality blue carbon, the Philippines NBCAP will create a national roadmap that leverages blue carbon resources to support national climate goals, ecosystems and communities.

Atty. Jonas Leones, Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs, Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines, explains how this partnership will work to support social, economic and climate goals at a national level: “Blue carbon ecosystem conservation and restoration is a priority for the Philippines to support coastal community well-being, to safeguard coastlines, and to store carbon. The Philippines National Blue Carbon Action Partnership serves a central role in our planning for these ecosystems and the Partnership Kick-Off Event highlights the importance of diverse stakeholders that will contribute to this planning and implementation.”

As the secretariat lead, ZSL will help to co-draft the national blue carbon roadmap. Edwina Garchitorena, ZSL’s lead says: “Collaborative efforts between researchers, policymakers, and local communities are essential to ensuring that blue carbon investments contribute to community-led conservation and are guided by the best available science and tailored to local contexts. Through the Philippines National Blue Carbon Action Partnership, we have a unique opportunity to scale up successful blue carbon initiatives, creating lasting benefits for both communities and the environment.”

Gisela Tiongson, President of the Jollibee Group Foundation, "The Jollibee Group Foundation is committed to building community resilience and supporting livelihoods. As part of our efforts, we are proud to be a partner of the Philippines National Blue Carbon Action Partnership to advance blue carbon action. NBCAP presents a valuable cross-sector opportunity, fostering collaboration with the private sector and communities to drive blue carbon investments that strengthen both the environment and local economies."

ZSL is working with local partners on the ground to explore how blue carbon ecosystems can support community livelihoods and offer nature-based solutions to multiple challenges, including climate change, food security and water quality.

Meanwhile, at a global level, The Blue Carbon Action Partnership addresses challenges by finding new ways to deliver and measure the value of blue carbon ecosystems, while making sure that local communities benefit from jobs and livelihood support, food security and coastal protection through the implementation of the High-Quality Blue Carbon Principles and Guidance and the High-Quality Blue Carbon Practitioner’s Guide, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and several of the world’s leading organisations working on blue carbon.

Alfredo Giron, Head of Ocean, World Economic Forum, said: “The nature- and people-positive transformation of the ocean economy is gaining momentum. However blue carbon ecosystems remain vulnerable to climatic and economic shocks. This roadmap, a collaboration between the World Economic Forum and the Government of the Philippines, is a fantastic opportunity to bring together key stakeholders to work towards a shared vision for high-quality blue carbon. Greater synergy between government, NGOs, corporates and finance is needed now more than ever.”