Key Points

• Blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes are being treated as a climate mitigation resource that still lacks consistent national accounting.
• A recurring gap is implementation: only about 20% of eligible countries include blue carbon in National Inventory Reports or official climate reporting.
• Researchers are prioritizing measurement of carbon stocks and fluxes, along with better governance evidence, to make blue carbon crediting more credible.
• The current research agenda stresses that coastal livelihoods, local communities, and indigenous knowledge need to be built into management and restoration plans.
• The topic is relatively coherent and current, with little historical drift: the material points to a focused research-and-governance push rather than a broad policy debate.
• Expected climate benefits are framed as incremental but meaningful, with conserved and restored blue carbon ecosystems potentially offsetting a small additional share of global emissions.