AUTHOR=Becker Amani , Bercovici Sarah K. , Choo Jenny , Fakhrurrozi Fakhrurrozi , Fong Annabelle , Fowell Sara E. , Hossain Emmy , Hussein Muhammad Ali Syed , Jamilah Maryam , Mujahid Aazani , Müller Moritz , Ooi Jillian Lean Sim , Quiros T. E. Angela L. , Richard Florina , Saleh Ejria , Chee Su Yin , Then Amy Yee-Hui , Ticman Kristina , Wee Julia Lih Suan , Wong Changi , Affendi Yang Amri , Yap Tzuen Kiat , Yoshikai Masaya , Yusri Safran , Evans Claire 

TITLE=Blue carbon management integrating socioeconomic and environmental interconnectivity in Southeast Asia: an urgent climate priority

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1642387

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2025.1642387

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=This perspective article synthesises insights from a 2023 interdisciplinary workshop in Kuching, Malaysia, where 26 experts examined how land use and land cover change (LULCC) impacts Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCE) in Southeast Asia (SEA) and identified pathways for integrated, science-informed governance. BCE in SEA (mangroves, seagrasses and tidal wetlands) are globally significant carbon sinks, critical to biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions, dependant on them for food, income and coastal protection. Yet rapid development and socio-economically driven LULCC threaten BCE resilience and carbon storage capacity. Blue Carbon initiatives risk falling short if they overlook the socio-ecological interconnectivity of these systems. Advances in remote sensing, sediment carbon accounting and ecosystem modelling have improved BCE monitoring, but key gaps persist. These include understanding cumulative upstream effects of LULCC on BCE carbon dynamics, integrating socio-economic with ecological data for robust scenario modelling and evaluating governance effectiveness and equity over time. We frame BCE as dynamic, interconnected socio-ecological systems and call for the advancement of systems thinking in coastal and climate policy. We underscore the need for transdisciplinary, nested governance models operating across ecological scales and political boundaries and argue for a systems-based management approach that links land-sea processes, addresses upstream-downstream dynamics and balances carbon market incentives with local needs. Recommendations include improved monitoring and carbon accounting; alignment between science and policy; regionally coordinated governance; and diversifying finance to reflect the full value of BCE beyond carbon. Together, these actions chart a path for resilient, science-based, socially inclusive BCE conservation in SEA.