Action #4:
Build adaptation and resilience building strategies
There are many adaptation and resilience building actions that governments and communities can take by utilizing existing policy frameworks, resilience targets or management goals.
Local actions to improve resilience across marine ecosystems—through blue carbon, nature-based solutions, planning or conservation measures—can all have multiple beneficial outcomes for improving local conditions and increasing the adaptive capacity of marine species.
What can you do?
Deploy nature-based solutions—including shell dissolution techniques–and restoration of coastal ecosystems like mangrove, seagrass, salt marsh and kelp forest that absorb carbon in the water column and increase the pH for nearby calcifying organisms.
Explore aquaculture resilience strategies that aim to predict and mitigate corrosive or harmful conditions or design growing practices to breed for tolerant species.
Establish climate-resilient marine protected areas (MPAs) or establish coherent networks of conservation measures; leverage OA and climate information to inform Marine Spatial Planning decision making about shared use of marine waters.
Incorporate OA and other ocean-climate change indicators across a range of universally accepted adaptation strategies like disaster risk management and recovery, cost-benefit frameworks, early warning systems, climate services and risk spreading
Practice adaptive management to enhance community and economic resilience.
examples from members
The Kelp Forest Foundation is conducting a project in Namibia to determine the potential of kelp beds to remediate local OA by raising the pH of seawater for calcifying organisms.
California’s Ocean Science Trust (OST) utilizes the co-benefits of restoring and conserving seagrass beds and kelp forests, to remediate impacts of coastal acidification near shore.
Seychelles' Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) is working with Oxford University, Pew Trusts and the University of Seychelles to map the seagrass ecosystems within Seychelles and use existing guidance to assess their carbon value and potentially help remediate impacts of coastal acidification.
Mook Sea Farm and Taylor Shellfish Farms are exploring several adaptation strategies including buffering of seawater to ensure that the oysters and shellfish they grow are able to withstand impacts of ocean acidification.
FIND MORE EXAMPLES ON PAGE 38 OF THE TOOLKIT