Responsible Investment in Blue Carbon Resources: “Constraints and potential motivations to attracting large-scale private capital investment in blue carbon resources”

© 2018 Ryan CookCoastal marine ecosystems provide critical climate change mitigation benefits and ecosystem services. The moniker blue carbon can be applied to coastal marine ecosystems comprising mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses. These blue carbon ecosystems are increasingly being recognised for their highly effective carbon sequestration capacity, often factorially more effective than terrestrial ecosystems. Despite this, private investment in blue carbon resources (BC) is infinitesimal and confined to specialised niche projects. While blue carbon science and policy research advances private investment perspectives in relation to BC are limited. Within this context there are emerging shifts in global, private capital markets aimed at more measured capital deployment or responsible investment (RI). Such shifts often aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are guided by initiatives such as the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). This research utilises an anonymously distributed online survey and quantitative exploratory analysis of perspectives from 44 private investment respondents. Respondents were segmented into those actors with for- profit and not-for-profit motives. Key research findings were the comparatively low level of familiarity amongst respondents for blue carbon, when compared with similarly themed terms. This finding was supported by respondents indicating a low level of knowledge relating to broader carbon market investment. Additionally, notwithstanding the growing responsible investment market respondents remained predominantly return on investment focused. Despite this and encouraging for BC stakeholders is the high proportion of respondents whom view co-benefits as an important factor for large-scale investment. For BC stakeholders this research expands on existing knowledge on investment, with a more targeted focus on private large-scale investment motivations and constraints. The research largely comprises Australian based respondents