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Costa Rica is taking strong steps to protect and restore its blue carbon ecosystems—such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes—that play a crucial role in capturing carbon, preserving biodiversity, and strengthening coastal resilience. In its December 2020 NDC submission, the country committed to conserving and restoring coastal wetlands as part of a broader strategy to advance natural climate solutions and support sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities.
Costa Rica’s NDC includes commitments to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems. By 2025, the country aims to safeguard 100% of the coastal wetlands identified in its National Wetland Inventory, including more than 22,000 hectares of mangroves. It is also prioritizing the restoration of key wetland areas and the development of management and monitoring plans that encourage sustainable, community-based stewardship. In parallel, Costa Rica is exploring innovative financing mechanisms, such as expanding its terrestrial payment for ecosystem services program into a coastal-focused payment for marine ecosystem services program, to provide recognition and incentives for communities actively conserving these vital ecosystems.
National Blue Carbon Strategy: Turning Commitments Into Implementation
To operationalize the targets outlined in its NDC, Costa Rica launched its National Blue Carbon Strategy in 2023. Grounded in both national and international legal frameworks, the strategy emphasizes ecological sustainability, economic development, and human well-being. Key actions include promoting the restoration, sustainable management, and conservation of blue carbon ecosystems; establishing official guidance and criteria for registering blue carbon projects by 2025; and creating financial mechanisms to support long-term governance and stewardship.
A notable component of the strategy supports the Central Bank of Costa Rica in developing a standardized methodology, by 2030, for the economic valuation of blue carbon ecosystem services—including, but not limited to, carbon sequestration. This framework is designed to improve coordination across public institutions and ensure alignment with Costa Rica’s NDC goals.
Strengthening Finance for Blue Carbon Implementation
In 2024, Costa Rica hosted a national workshop to assess progress on its coastal wetland targets and to identify financing opportunities aligned with its NDC. The workshop brought together national stakeholders and experts to review developments in climate and conservation finance, identify regulatory and policy gaps, promote local engagement, and support the creation of measurable indicators to guide financial planning. Emphasis was placed on developing long-term and sustainable funding sources for blue carbon initiatives. Insights from this workshop are informing the development of Costa Rica’s NDC 3.0, which will continue to build on the country’s global leadership in blue carbon action.
Costa Rica’s proactive approach demonstrates how climate commitments can be translated into actionable strategies, measurable outcomes, and inclusive processes. By integrating nature-based solutions—such as blue carbon—into its NDC framework and pioneering innovative finance mechanisms, Costa Rica offers a replicable model for countries aiming to enhance resilience and raise ambition under the Paris Agreement.
More information on the development of Costa Rica’s blue carbon targets is available in this Insight Brief.