A Workshop: Blue Carbon Sequestration: Insights from Initiatives in Scotland and India
A Workshop: Blue Carbon Sequestration: Insights from Initiatives in Scotland and India
Coastal ecosystems, including tidal marshes, mangrove forests and seagrasses (referred to as blue carbon ecosystems), are nature-based solutions that offer significant potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Blue Carbon (BC) ecosystems can help in mitigating greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions due to high carbon storage and sequestration potential. Conservation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems can help support regional and national net zero emission targets while also providing valuable ecosystem services, supporting livelihoods, and enhancing climate change resilience for local populations. This half-day workshop will touch upon technical and policy issues around blue carbon at the global level and delve into the existing status and restoration initiatives through two country case studies: Saltmarsh habitats- Skinflats, Kyle of Tongue, and Loch Laich in Scotland and Mangroves in Kutch, India.
Date: Thursday, December 15, 2022 Time: 12 PM – 6 PM IST Venue: Room 004, School of Arts and Sciences Registration Link:https://forms.gle/k1PfJp1vyMtRkrFx5
Schedule
12:30 - 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:30 - 2:00 PM
Opening remarks and introduction to the project
Minal Pathak, Associate Professor, Global Centre for Environment and Energy, Ahmedabad University
Catherine Lovelock, Professor, University of Queensland (Virtual)
William Austin, Professor, School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Session 1: Blue carbon sequestration: Implications for global climate change mitigation and biodiversity
Moderator: Minal Pathak
Panelists
William Austin, Professor, University of St Andrews
Jo Smith, Professor, University of Aberdeen (Virtual) (TBC)
Alex Houston, doctoral candidate, University of St. Andrews
3:30 - 4:00 PM
Tea Break
4:00 - 5:30 PM
Session 2: Mangrove ecosystems in the coastal zone of Kutch: Current status and effectiveness of restoration initiatives
Moderator: Ratna Ghosal, Assistant Professor, Ahmedabad University
Panelists
Nikhil Lele, Scientist, Space Applications Centre (ISRO)
V. Vijay Kumar, Director, Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE) (TBC)
Jennifer Howard, Vice President, Blue Carbon Program at Conservation International, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States (Virtual) (TBC)
Shrutika Parihar, doctoral candidate, Ahmedabad University