News
AZTI plays an active role in the Spanish Group of Experts on Blue Carbon Ecosystems (G3ECA), a nationwide initiative that brings together researchers and technical specialists working on the study, conservation and restoration of so-called blue carbon ecosystems.
These ecosystems — such as salt marshes, seagrass meadows and mangroves — are recognised for their ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it naturally in their vegetation and sediments. They also provide essential benefits for biodiversity, the environmental quality of coastal areas and the protection of shorelines.
The group was set up with the aim of placing scientific knowledge at the service of public authorities, helping to integrate it into policies and strategies related to climate change, coastal management and nature conservation. Its main functions include promoting collaboration between research teams, sharing projects and recent scientific advances, and providing advice to institutions, organisations and other interested stakeholders.
The group also works to coordinate efforts with European and international initiatives, at a time of growing interest in nature-based solutions as a complementary tool in tackling global warming.
For AZTI, participation in this group further strengthens its role as a leading centre for applied marine research and for the transfer of scientific knowledge into public decision-making. The AZTI experts involved in the group are Joxe Mikel Garmendia, Guillem Chust, Javier Franco and Mireia Valle, the latter acting as the Basque Country’s representative within this network of specialists.
AZTI’s contribution is particularly focused on providing scientific evidence from coastal ecosystem restoration and monitoring projects, as well as on advancing robust methodologies to assess their actual role in climate change mitigation and in the adaptation of coastal areas.