Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCE) play an important role as profound carbon reservoirs and have the potential to sequester more carbon in an area than any other ecosystem. This has sparked interest in these ecosystems and their potential for use in climate mitigation strategies and more specifically, carbon abatement. BCEs can be restored in areas which have been tidally modified through anthropogenic interventions. One such location which has experienced anthropogenic tidal regime modification is the Lower Shoalhaven River region - a region that has a broad floodplain with many floodgates separating rivers, creeks, and associated tributaries from the tidal influences of the Shoalhaven River Estuary. Recent studies have investigated the Blue Carbon potential at a national and state level, but there are limited studies on the application on a regional scale. Accordingly, using the Blue Carbon Accounting Model (BlueCAM) and its derivative, the Forward Abatement Estimator (FAE) this study aime
Context: The Australian Government has developed a methodology for payment for carbon services provided by blue carbon ecosystems that focuses on avoided emissions and carbon additionality resulting from tidal restoration of coastal wetlands. Aims: This study is a first-pass prioritisation for tidal restoration of coastal wetlands in New South Wales (NSW). Methods: A pixel-based approach was applied using readily available datasets, with particular focus on watersheds above in-stream tidal barriers. Key results: Many sites were identified, to investigate in detail, opportunities to restore tidal flows to coastal wetlands. More were associated with the broad coastal floodplains of northern NSW than narrower floodplains of southern NSW. Conclusions: Information is needed about the location, ownership, land tenure, structure, condition and height of in-stream and over-land flow barriers, particularly in the context of rising sea levels. Decisions about managing in-stream drainage and floo