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Building Momentum for Blue Carbon: Highlights from the CCCCC workshop in Kingston, Jamaica.

In March 2025, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC), in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Global Ocean Decade Programme for Blue Carbon (GO-BC), Conservation International (CI), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Pew Charitable Trusts, hosted a three-day Blue Carbon Workshop in Kingston, Jamaica. The event brought together regional policymakers, scientists, and finance ministers from 18 Caribbean nations, to advance strategies for protecting and restoring the Caribbean’s vital coastal ecosystems and developing blue finance for the region.

The workshop provided a dynamic platform to share the latest science on mangroves and seagrasses across the Caribbean—ecosystems that not only safeguard coastlines but also capture and store vast amounts of carbon. GO-BC played a central role in shaping the technical science programme, leading a series of science-focused sessions on cutting-edge research, methodologies for carbon accounting, and innovative monitoring approaches. These sessions fostered knowledge sharing between the attending nations and ensured that all participants gained practical knowledge on how blue carbon science can directly inform policy and management decisions. GO-BC also facilitated dialogue on linking Caribbean efforts to global blue carbon initiatives, ensuring the region’s work feeds into—and benefits from—international networks and opportunities;

“As large ocean states, your stewardship of some of the richest and most diverse coastal habitats in the world is critical to combatting both the climate and biodiversity crises,” said Deputy British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Jonathan Cook, in his opening remarks.

His message underscored the global importance of the Caribbean’s efforts to show leadership in blue carbon conservation and restoration.

A highlight of the programme was a GO-BC organized field trip to South Clarendon and Port Royal, where participants visited mangrove restoration sites and engaged directly with ongoing conservation efforts. The field excursion showcased the tangible benefits of blue carbon initiatives for improved climate change mitigation, coastal protection and biodiversity, while also underscoring the challenges and opportunities for scaling up restoration across the region.

Key outcomes included:

Strengthening regional scientific capacity: Hands-on science-focused training sessions were led by GO-BC experts Bill Austin, Miguel Cifuentes, Hannah Morrissette, and Dan Freiss, equipping participants with tools for mapping and assessing blue carbon resources across the Caribbean.
Policy alignment: Countries shared experiences in incorporating blue carbon into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), identifying pathways to harmonize policies across the region.
Partnership building: The event fostered collaboration among governments, academia, NGOs, and international agencies, laying the groundwork for joint projects and investment opportunities.
Blue finance focus: Discussions on blue carbon crediting and blue finance took place over the course of the workshop and allowed each nation to share their priorities and challenges, providing the opportunity to carve out a collective direction for responsible blue finance across the Caribbean.

By the close of the workshop, participants had agreed on a set of priority actions, including developing a regional blue carbon roadmap, advancing pilot restoration projects, and mobilizing climate finance for ecosystem conservation.

The Kingston workshop marks a significant step towards the Caribbean’s leadership on blue carbon for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). By combining regional expertise with global scientific knowledge, and grounding discussions in real-world field experiences, the event strengthened the foundations for protecting coastal ecosystems that are critical for climate resilience, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods, whilst encouraging the development of sustainable and responsible blue economies.

GO-BC would like to acknowledge and thank DEFRA, who provided financial support for our participation, and we were delighted to be supported in-person by colleagues from DEFRA’s International Ocean and Climate. Shortly after the workshop in Jamaica, Professor Dan Freiss agreed to join the GO-BC science technical working group and we are delighted to have Dan now actively engaged in the Ocean Decade.