Carbon removal

Supporting mangrove restoration in Pakistan

Name: Supporting mangrove restoration in Pakistan
Brand: Ecologi
Price: 42 GBP
Availability: InStock

Overview

Site

Timeline

Benefits

Verification

What is blue carbon?

Blue carbon is the carbon held in coastal habitats, including mangrove forests and seagrass meadows. These ecosystems absorb carbon as they grow and can store it in the sediments beneath them. Protecting and restoring them supports long-term carbon storage, while providing nurseries for marine life and helping protect shorelines from erosion.

Project summary

Located in the Sindh Province, Pakistan, Delta Blue is the world’s largest mangrove project and is found within the ecologically important Indus Delta, protecting and restoring tidal river channels and mangrove forests.

The first of its kind, Delta Blue Carbon-1, is the pioneer VCM project for mangrove reforestation and protection. This is a 60-year project renewable for up to 100 years, and is being implemented over an area of 350,000 ha in the districts of Thatta and Sujawal in the Indus Delta Area, Sindh Province, Pakistan. Beginning in 2015, the project is stepping out of its infancy stages, and we are now seeing the real and quantifiable impacts from this project.

The project area is a key biodiversity area which includes species of key concern. Ecologically, this richly diverse landscape provides critical ecosystem services. It sustains productive fisheries, serves as an important feeding ground for migratory seabirds, and acts as a place of refuge for mammals and reptiles. Delta Blue and the importance of mangrove preservation extend beyond just biodiversity. Healthy, established mangrove forests provide generational insurance for coastal communities as a vital erosion-adaptive measure, diffusing wave action, which, during storm surges, can greatly impact coastlines and their communities. The reinvigoration is also helping to sustain local communities by providing a stable food source and empowering communities by assisting them with sustainable employment. To date, it has supported 21,000 jobs for women and men in surrounding communities.

Locations

Sindh, Pakistan

Timeline

Follow the latest milestones and updates from this project.

Aug 2026

Delta Blue Carbon organises a Training and Awareness Session on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and Reusable Pad Making

On 28 June 2026, Delta Blue Carbon organised a Training and Awareness Session on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and Reusable Pad Making. The session reached over 95 women and girls across several communities. The training was delivered in line with WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNESCO, and WASH guidance, with the session promoting reusable cloth pads as a safe, sustainable, and dignified alternative.

Each participant received a kit to keep making pads at home, supporting long-term self-reliance and affordability. The initiative reflects Delta Blue Carbon's ongoing commitment to the health and dignity of women and girls across the Indus Delta's coastal communities.

Jul 2026

Free medical camps held in villages

The Project has continued to improve and expand healthcare delivery in the Project Zone by providing financial and capacity support to the Rural Health Center in Keti Bandar, as well as to the mobile health unit working with local partners.

Free medical camps were held in the 3 village clusters, offering consultations in gynaecology, dermatology, and general practice, along with the distribution of essential medicines. In addition, local medical staff received training in midwifery and first aid.

Access to safe and affordable drinking water was maintained through the continued operation of the previously rehabilitated reverse osmosis plant. Hygiene and sanitation awareness sessions were also conducted to support healthier practices and help reduce risks of preventable diseases, with particular attention to women’s health and childcare.

May 2026

Improving access to non-formal education in Pakistan

Delta Blue Carbon has continued to improve school infrastructure and further facilitated student enrolment. The project has conducted awareness training and capacity-building sessions on the sustainable use and production of land and marine resources. Since its last monitoring, these included trainings in crab Farming, sustainable Fishing and seafood handling, climate-smart agriculture, and Sustainable livestock management.

Jan 2025

Monitoring Report

The monitoring report was published earlier this year following the completion of the audit which ran from 1st March 2023 - 31st August 2024. During this Third Monitoring Period, the Project has contributed to climate change adaptation at the community and biodiversity levels, meeting the Gold Level criteria.

The strengthened mangrove ecosystem has helped maintain soil stability and prevent erosion, further safeguarding local communities and have helped protect infrastructure across 16 villages within the Project Zone.

Jul 2023

Release of Second Monitoring Report

Official release of the Monitoring Report prepared by Indus Delta Capital, the Government of Sindh, and Silvestrum Climate Associates
Detailed community, climate, and biodiversity benefits, including healthcare, clean water access, and educational initiatives reaching over 42,000 local residents across 60 coastal villages

Mar 2023

Conclusion of Second Monitoring Period

End of the 16-month monitoring window
Expanded total restored mangrove cover to 83,034 hectares (including the 9,909 ha 2021 planting cohort) and achieved 5,437,031.84 tCO2e in cumulative project lifetime GHG removals

Nov 2021

Commencement of Second Monitoring Period

Start date for the monitoring window running through Feb 28, 2023
Initiated expansion of restoration works, ongoing plantation maintenance, and an enhanced community stewardship contract

Oct 2021

Conclusion of First Monitoring Period

End date for the monitoring window covering Feb 19, 2015 through Oct 31, 2021
Successfully restored 73,125 hectares of mangroves (later rectified to 73,465.85 ha) and generated 3,497,159.54 tCO2e in gross net GHG removals

Oct 2021

Issuance of CCB Validation Statement

Formal issuance date of the CCB Validation Statement following the initial third-party audit
Secured Gold Level distinctions across all three categories: Climate Change Adaptation Gold, Exceptional Community Benefits Gold, and Biodiversity Gold

Mar 2021

Initial Project Description (PD v1.0) Release

Established the strategic plan to reforest 224,997 hectares of degraded arid mangroves across the Thatta and Sujawal districts of Sindh Province

Feb 2015

Project Creation

Marks the official start date of the 60-year project lifetime and GHG accounting period for the Delta Blue Carbon – 1 (DBC-1) project

Benefits

Climate

Delta Blue drives large-scale carbon removal while acting as a critical adaptation shield for Pakistan's vulnerable coastline. As the fifth most vulnerable nation globally to climate impacts, compounded by its arid environment and low-lying topography, Sindh faces severe environmental threats. The projects’ 350,000-hectare area forest is projected to remove 142 million tCO2e, directly linking carbon mitigation with long-term regional resilience.

Beyond carbon sequestration, establishing and fortifying coastal mangrove forests provides essential defense against wave action, soil erosion, and shoreline retreat. These mature ecosystems act as dynamic natural buffers, with shallow fronting tidal flats, dense root systems, and wide canopies dampening wave energy to reduce initial wave heights by up to 70%. To sustain this protection, Delta Blue safeguards 102,000 hectares of existing mangrove forest while actively rehabilitating and restoring an additional 225,000 hectares of degraded coastal lands.

Nature

The project is being implemented in the coastal portion of the Indus eco-region, which is one of the 40 most biologically rich ecoregions in the world. The Project Zone meets the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) definition on account of both vulnerability and irreversibility criteria.

The project consists of the restoration and conservation of tidal wetland mangrove forests in the project area. Project interventions will be implemented via sustainable landscape management tools, which will contribute to the maintenance of the ecological structure and composition of the ecosystem. This will guarantee the availability of ecosystem services and the conservation of species of flora that are under threat.

As for the fauna, an increase in vegetation cover will ensure an adequate habitat for faunal species. Mangrove forests in the project zone are the habitat of a great variety of local and migratory birds, mammals and reptiles, which obtain food from them and use them as places of refuge and nesting. Marine and estuarine species will also find the necessary conditions for their reproduction, growth and permanence.

The project will undertake restoration of degraded and de-vegetated mangrove using the native species Avicennia marina, Rhizophora mucronate, Ceriops tagal, and Aegiceras corniculatum. In the agroforestry program, the project will use local and native species such as Acacia nilotica.

People

More than 30% of Pakistan's population live below the poverty line. In Sindh, rural areas face heightened food insecurity and limited service access. Delta Blue Carbon is striving to empower communities through full-time employment opportunities for 21,000 people. This is almost half the population. Targets have been set for both male and female members of the community to have access to training in different areas related to natural resources management. The investment into this community promotes the permanence of the project's efforts. Investment into education also extends into the accessibility of primary and secondary education through increasing student enrollment and the improvement of learning environments.

SDGs supported

By enhancing the provision of mangrove ecosystem goods, the project improves food security through sustainable fisheries and other resources.

Improved ecosystem services contribute to better air and water quality, supporting the health and well-being of local populations.

The project engages communities in education and awareness programs about mangrove conservation and sustainable practices.

Focused efforts are made to involve women in decision-making and livelihood opportunities, promoting gender equality.

Mangrove ecosystems play a role in improving water quality and maintaining coastal water supplies.

Sustainable mangrove management supports clean energy opportunities like biomass and eco-friendly resources.

The project generates sustainable job opportunities for local communities, fostering inclusive economic growth.

The project promotes inclusive economic opportunities and benefits for marginalised and forest-dependent communities, addressing social and economic inequalities.

By restoring and protecting mangroves, the project mitigates climate change through carbon sequestration and strengthens community resilience to climate-related shocks.

Mangrove restoration supports marine biodiversity, improves fisheries, and protects coastal ecosystems crucial for ocean health.

The project enhances biodiversity, preserves critical habitats, and combats land degradation in a threatened arid mangrove ecosystem.

Verification

These partners help deliver the project and verify its impact.

Verifiers

Verified Carbon Standard

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program is the world's most widely used greenhouse gas (GHG) crediting program.

View evidence

Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard

Projects developed under the CCB Program must follow a rigorous assessment process to be certified. The CCB Standards are managed by Verra but were developed through a multi-stakeholder process by the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, a partnership of CARE, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, the Rainforest Alliance and the Wildlife Conservation Society.