CAPTION: International Blue Carbon and Wetlands Conference keynote speaker, Dr Stephen Crooks; Farrah Mathura, Project Manager, Regional Blue Carbon Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Initiative; Gerard Alleng, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank; and Dr. Paula Cristina Sierra-Correa, Head of Marine and Coastal Research, INVEMAR. Photo courtesy: The University of the West Indies.
SANTA MARTA - Caribbean leaders converged this week on Colombia's Santa Marta coast to explore ways to turn mangroves and wetlands into market-ready blue carbon assets that can attract investment and generate verified carbon credits.
The International Blue Carbon and Wetlands Conference drew more than 500 participants from 50 countries. Hosted by Colombia's leading institute of marine sciences, the three-day event (August 12–14) focused on region-specific strategies for moving these ecosystems into blue carbon markets.
Opening the conference, Dr. Stephen Crooks, Co-Chair of the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group, urged the region to accelerate development of market-ready blue carbon assets. For Caribbean nations, his message was clear: the financial potential of blue carbon is vast, but there is much work to do. He singled out monitoring, reporting and verification — commonly called MRV — as a unifying thread that links science and management in ways that catalyse investment.
"Where are we on carbon markets? How do we start recognising more credits for the projects we're already working on? How do we get more value out of the credits we're generating? And what are some of the new tools and science that are emerging, as we start to think about linking science and management together to catalyse investment? MRV feeds through all of this."
At the centre of discussions were Panama, Suriname, Jamaica, and Colombia — four countries collaboratively leading an initiative to develop consistent, science-based MRV systems across Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, these countries showed that no single model holds all the answers but each contributes a vital piece of the puzzle to move the region's blue carbon from concept to credible, market-ready reality.
Panama shared expertise in integrating biodiversity conservation with public engagement. Suriname brought advanced MRV technical capacity. Jamaica offered pragmatic approaches to mangrove restoration, bridging research and practice. Colombia contributed the perspective of an active carbon credit generator, with lessons on scaling and recertification.
Colombia is already generating carbon credits through verified projects with stilt-house communities where villages are built over water and daily life unfolds by boat. These communities both depend on and restore surrounding mangroves, creating a living demonstration of how local livelihoods and climate goals can align — and how MRV can document, verify, and ultimately unlock value from that alignment.
In a region with vast untapped carbon finance potential, every stage of progress offers lessons — from first steps in data collection to navigating the complexities of international certification.
The MRV initiative is led by the St Augustine Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of The University of the West Indies (UWI STACIE), funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
"This conference is a vital milestone in our regional efforts to protect, restore, and sustainably manage coastal blue carbon ecosystems," said Cheryle Tewarie-Dubay, Acting Director of UWI STACIE. She underscored robust, standardised MRV as essential for credible market participation.
IDB Senior Climate Change Specialist Gerard Alleng linked the science directly to investment readiness: "To be in the conversation about new financial instruments requires solid science and strong institutional capacity. I'm glad to see so many young scientists from INVEMAR here today."
UK Ambassador to Colombia George Hodgson noted that the work builds on more than five years of bilateral cooperation and underscores how Colombia, working alongside Panama, Suriname, and Jamaica, is helping shape a model the wider region can adapt.
"There are many good examples here of coastal and marine conservation, and we are pleased to be working with Colombia, through the IDB, on MRV — the focus of this conference," he said.
On the final day, delegates left the conference hall for the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, travelling by boat to the stilt-house communities of Buenavista and Nueva Venecia to see grassroots restoration efforts in the Caño Clarín tidal channel. The site — the largest coastal wetland in the Colombian Caribbean — is recognised as a Ramsar Site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Here, the finance-readiness message returned to its real-world roots. Delegates saw MRV not just as an abstract technical standard, but as a grounded framework for turning community-driven, climate-forward blue carbon solutions into market-ready assets with both climate and community dividends.
Disclaimer: This communication does not necessarily reflect the views of DEFRA, the Inter-American Development Bank, or INVEMAR. No stakeholder institution shall be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.
