Protecting Mangroves in the Dominican Republic through the Blue Carbon Exchange

Project Summary  

CI-Atabey Foundation is developing the Dominican Republic’s first Blue Carbon Exchange mechanism to conserve and restore the nation’s vital mangrove forests by selling high-quality blue carbon credits. The project will deliver tangible environmental outcomes while establishing a transparent, scalable model to unlock long-term finance and community benefits.

As natural carbon sinks, mangroves play a key role in combatting climate change, but they are increasingly under threat from climate change and human pressures. In response, this project set out to quantify the blue carbon captured by mangroves in the Dominican Republic, laying the groundwork to establish a formal carbon credit system and promote blue carbon as a powerful climate solution.  

By adopting the High-Quality Blue Carbon (HQBC) Principles and Guidance and Practitioners Guide, the initiative not only supports the protection of mangroves but also contributes to global efforts to standardise blue carbon practices, delivering long-lasting environmental and socio-economic benefits to coastal communities.   

Solution 

CI-Atabey is laying the groundwork for a blue carbon market in the Dominican Republic through mangrove restoration, carbon credit programme development, and the establishment of the institutional framework needed to support a national blue carbon market. It combines on-the-ground actions, such as restoring degraded areas through seedling planting and improving natural water flows, with systems to measure and validate carbon benefits. This approach helps to strengthen local capacity through training and community engagement, empowering coastal communities to actively manage and monitor local mangrove ecosystems. At the same time, the project is establishing the Dominican Blue Carbon Exchange Trust to ensure transparent governance, fair benefit-sharing, and investor confidence.