Our Project Initiatives
Game Changing Solutions
Sediment Tube Technology (FPEIS)
Successful Restoration of Boat Groundings and Propeller / Pipeline Scarring
Additional Solutions
Buoys Matter
• Traditional Buoys cause halos
• Pole Buoys are more visible
• Less maintenance
• Engineered to withstand Cat 4 Hurricanes
Proven Case Study
FP&L Mitigation Project: Project background:The initial mapping effort occurred in June, 2009 while the second mappingeffort occurred in September of 2009. To identify additional mitigation acreageas required by Miami-Dade County DERM Staff, a third survey was conducted inAugust, 2010. Aerial photography and direct observations were utilized toidentify individual seagrass injuries within the selected mitigation sites. Seagrassinjuries within the sites selected for restoration are hereafter referred to asrestoration sites. During these three separate mapping efforts, over 2.5 acres ofdeep propeller scars (greater than 20 cm. deep) were mapped and surveyed forrestoration options and inclusion in FPL's compensation plan. The intent was todemonstrate the ability to locate sufficient propeller scarring and vesselgroundings in the selected mitigation areas.
Project Description
•Restoration of 111,078 square feet of prop scars using Sediment Tubes
•Restoration of over 217,800 square feet of prop scars through the use of birdstakes
•Enhancement of nearly 64,000 square feet of other damaged areas
•Manufacturing of over 58,000 Sediment Tubes by Americans with Disabilities
•Restoration of damaged essential fish habitat
•Installation of 98 seagrass caution markers to help protect the Banks fromfurther damage
•Create public awareness of the importance of seagrass
Project Update
• The sediment tubes installed in deep prop scars and blow holes were either visible or buried. In both instances, seagrass was observed growing over the sediment tubes. Thus, this technique currently appears to be successful and no corrective action is recommended at this time.
• All sediment subsidence stations have satisfied the success criteria which states < 10 cm of sediment subsidence at sites that have been stabilized with sediment placement.
Project Results
Over 10,000 seagrass planting cores were installed during seagrass growing season over a period of 3 months. As per contract requirements with the City of Bradenton Beach the cores had to be inspected and verified prior to the contractor being paid. There was also a 30% withholding of payment until the plants were inspected 45 days after installation as part of the guarantee. All sites were signed offf or completion and final payment was issued and accepted assuccessful.
The Blue Resilience Initiative
Blue Carbon Neutral in partnership with The Ocean Foundation’s Blue Resilience Initiative is dedicated to restoring, conserving, and financing natural coastal infrastructure by equipping key stakeholders with the tools, technical expertise, and policy frameworks to achieve large scale climate risk reduction. Through our instructional workshops and global educational outreach, we help build local capacity by connecting experts with local practitioners to provide guidance and support at all stages of a natural infrastructure project. We amplify our impact by working with government officials and community leaders on developing policies that support the restoration and conservation of coastal ecosystems through new stewardship approaches and financial strategies.
Above all, BCN and The Ocean Foundation are focused on addressing geographic and institutional gaps to ensure support reaches the communities who need it the most: those that face the greatest climate risk. And, our approach goes beyond simply preserving what is left. We seek to actively restore abundance and enhance the productivity of coastal ecosystems in order to help communities all around the world thrive despite increasing resource needs and climate threats.
The Work
BCN & The Ocean Foundation have been involved in coastal restoration since 2008 and released the first-ever Blue Carbon Offset Calculator in 2012 to provide charitable carbon offsets for individual donors, foundations, corporations, and events through the restoration and conservation of important coastal habitats that sequester and store carbon, including seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and salt marshes. To-date, major offset projects have been completed in the Florida Keys National Monument, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Narragansett Bay.
BCN and TOFare currently leading a large-scale seagrass and mangrove restoration project at the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in close partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and Conservación ConCiencia, a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit. In addition, with support from the U.S. State Department, TOF is currently funding a mangrove restoration project in Fiji that focuses on the role mangroves play in mitigating ocean acidification through the use of a specialized ocean chemistry kit developed by TOF as part of its work with the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON).
Showcasing our support for finding policy and market-based solutions to climate risk, TOF has been providing ongoing technical advice on the Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters focal area since 2014. Our support helped enable the GEF Blue Forests Project to provide the first global-scale assessment of the values associated with coastal carbon and ecosystem services. Our work with the GEF led to support for the development of the Verified Carbon Standard’s (VCS) VM0033 Methodology for Tidal Wetland and Seagrass Restoration, which allows for the generation of certified carbon credits. TOF is currently working with the methodology’s authors to release an expanded VCS methodology, the VM0007 REDD+ Methodology Framework (REDD+MF), v1.6, that allows the generation of carbon credits through blue carbon conservation efforts.
The Bigger Picture
Healthy coastal ecosystems offer substantial socio-economic benefits by supporting productive recreational and commercial fisheries as well as other ocean-dependent industries including tourism. The conservation and restoration of these ecosystems can provide both direct and indirect enhancements to local livelihoods.
Healthy and productive coastal ecosystems can contribute to much-needed sources of income for local communities and create alternative livelihoods that are less harmful to the environment.
The restoration and protection of coastal marine ecosystems may also encourage foreign investment that can help drive local sustainable development and foster the growth of human and natural capital throughout a broader economic region.