Advancing the Implementation of Belize’s NDC through a Comprehensive Carbon Assessment

Mangrove habitats play a fundamental role in supporting coastal communities by helping them adapt to the impacts of climate change. In September 2021, Belize made the bold decision to include protection and restoration targets for mangroves within its updated nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change.

A research project last September—led by the Smithsonian Institution and University of Belize Environmental Research Institute in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and The Pew Charitable Trusts—brought together a group of stakeholders including Belizean government agencies, local NGO representatives, protected areas managers, and international scientists. This representative group collected over 100 soil cores and almost 4,000 tree measurements along the coastlines of Belize in order to estimate the amount of carbon stored in Belize’s mangroves.

To learn more about this highly collaborative carbon assessment and to hear about the importance of this effort for Belize’s NDC implementation efforts, join The Pew Charitable Trusts for a live webinar on July 14th.