On August 24, 2017, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council hosted a Florida Blue Carbon & Sustainability workshop. This workshop was attended by regional planning council members, sustainability coordinators, economic developers, urban planners, NGOs, & resource managers. Coastal wetlands are an integral part of the Florida landscape, providing many benefits to the surrounding community.
A newly recognized benefit is the ability of coastal wetlands to address climate adaptation and resiliency goals through carbon capture (“blue carbon”). Blue carbon presents a new opportunity to address climate adaptation and mitigation, and tap into carbon finance to support coastal restoration through market incentives. The workshop was sponsored by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative, Restore America’s Estuaries, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Tampa Bay Estuary Program and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
