The Blue Forests Mapping tool allows you to learn more about the important role of coastal marine ecosystems and their ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The Blue Forests Mapping tool has been designed as part of GEF Blue Forests Project. The tool is simple to use and provides a rapid overview of the approximate total carbon stock value for a selected area of interest. This information is further broken down to provide information on the contribution of each ecosystem to the total carbon stock of the selected area.

What are blue forests?

'Blue forests' refer to the ability of coastal vegetation to sequester carbon. Blue forests ecosystems, such as mangrove forests, saltmarshes, seagrass beds and cyanobacterial mats, sequester and store atmospheric carbon in biomass and sediments, sometimes at rates higher than tropical rainforests.

When these ecosystems are destroyed, buried carbon can be released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change.