Twomey, Alice J., Baker, Alex, Waltham, Nathan, and Lovelock, Catherine (2024) Calculating carbon: The value of information in precision for blue carbon restoration projects. Journal of Environmental Management, 370. 122657.

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Abstract

Coastal wetland restoration projects can receive payments for ecosystem services but often occur in regions with limited data, and additional data collection can be financially prohibitive. Value of Information analysis can quantify the difference between the expected value of an action before and after new information has been collected, aiming to understand how much data is required to make decisions that balance the costs of implementation versus the benefits of the project. The Australian carbon market provides a method that uses reintroduction of tidal flows to restore coastal wetland ecosystems for their carbon sequestration functions. The method requires a hydrological assessment of prospective sites, which is employed to estimate carbon sequestration potential. This research investigates how different amounts of data collection and different levels of complexity in the hydrological assessment influence the carbon abatement emissions estimated using the method. The results indicate that tidal restoration for blue carbon credits on grazing land may not be financially viable. We found that tidal data collected onsite were important for decision-making while complex hydrological models have low value compared to more simplistic approaches. While investing in data collection provides more value than increasing the complexity of modelling approaches, the value of information was still low. Additionally, restoration of coastal wetlands is unlikely to be financially attractive at current carbon prices, and the land would have to be unsuitable for cattle to become profitable for restoration. This work provides a framework for evaluating the financial benefit of collecting on-site data and using robust methods for estimating inundation, that can be used to guide decision-making to achieve optimal income.

Item ID:	85286
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1095-8630
Keywords:	Blue carbon, Coastal ecosystems, Hydrological restoration, Coastal restoration, Hydrology, Value of information
Copyright Information:	© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC FL200100133
Date Deposited:	30 Apr 2025 00:27
FoR Codes:	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410401 Conservation and biodiversity @ 30% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410404 Environmental management @ 30% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 40%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1802 Coastal and estuarine systems and management > 180203 Coastal or estuarine biodiversity @ 50% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180507 Rehabilitation or conservation of marine environments @ 50%
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