Aligning Blue‑Carbon Projects with Community Tenure Rights

A recent review of 122 blue‑carbon guidance papers highlights a systematic preference for Western property frameworks. The authors, including Dr Sarah Lawless of James Cook University and Dr Sisir Pradhan of the University of Waterloo, note that the majority of guidance treats tenure as a matter of title deeds rather than recognising the nuanced rights held by coastal communities and Indigenous peoples.

The study finds that while blue‑carbon ecosystems – such as mangroves, tidal wetlands and seagrass beds – sequester carbon at rates exceeding those of tropical forests, many of these sites sit within lands traditionally managed under customary tenure arrangements. Yet the guidance examined offers only partial acknowledgement of these community rights, often relegating them to a secondary status.

Six core international tenure obligations, outlined in the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, are absent from most guidance documents. These obligations include recognition of access, management, and benefit‑sharing rights, as well as the provision of social safeguards to ensure projects do not erode existing tenure structures.

Researchers warn that the current trajectory could see blue‑carbon projects inadvertently marginalise the very communities that steward the ecosystems. Rising interest and investment from foreign actors heighten the risk, as projects may be pursued under the assumption that clear title deeds guarantee security, overlooking customary claims that lack formal registration.

Dr Lawless and her colleagues argue that a realignment of guidance with international tenure and human‑rights standards is essential. This would involve embedding mechanisms for community consent, transparent benefit‑sharing, and the protection of access and management rights throughout project design and implementation.

The authors also call for stronger social safeguards to accompany carbon accounting. Without these, blue‑carbon initiatives risk becoming a new form of resource extraction that privileges market‑driven outcomes over the cultural and ecological values held by traditional owners.

The study’s findings arrive at a pivotal moment for Australia's coastal wetlands and mangrove forests, which are increasingly recognised for their climate‑mitigation potential. Aligning policy with community tenure could unlock more equitable investment, ensure long‑term stewardship, and preserve the social fabric that underpins these vital ecosystems.

Future work will focus on developing a set of practical guidelines that integrate the six missing obligations, providing a template for governments, NGOs and private investors to design blue‑carbon projects that respect both the carbon market and the rights of Indigenous and coastal communities.