REV Ocean supports mangrove restoration for CO2 removal and community development
In REV Ocean we want to keep our environmental footprint to a minimum, and ensure we are “planet positive”. To compensate for our footprint, REV Ocean has chosen mangrove restoration, as the means for offsetting our carbon emissions by financially supporting a myclimate project in the Ayeyarwady Delta in Myanmar. The project not only removes carbon from the atmosphere, but also secures villagers’ livelihoods and protects endangered species. In addition, we are doing everything that we can to limit the extent of our travels and CO2 footprint, and we will take further measures outside of this offsetting mechanism wherever possible.
Between the 1980s and the start of the project in 2015, the Ayeyarwady Delta in Myanmar had lost 80% of its original mangrove forest coverage. This was primarily driven by clearance for shrimp farms, palm oil fields and charcoal production.
As these mangrove forests are being restored, they sequester a significant amount of CO2 from the atmosphere as they absorb carbon dioxide at up to 40 to 50 times the rate of terrestrial forests.
Community development
Mangrove forests offer substantial economic benefits. A key driver for clearing mangrove forests is income generation for a local population where 60% of villagers did not have a secure job at the start of this project.
The payment for carbon credits now funds training for women in natural textile coloring and dress making, and supports villagers in clam aquaculture and other community enterprises.
The project also supports long-term job creation by investing in education through solar panels and computers for schools, lamps for households, and scholarships.
By functioning as a natural defense line against high tides resulting from cyclones or tsunamis, they also protect economic infrastructure against damages. Moreover, mangrove forests attract a wide variety of marine life by creating ideal nurseries for fish and other marine animals that villagers can subsequently catch at sustainable levels.
Protecting endangered species
In addition to services that are beneficial to local villagers, the project also supports biodiversity restoration and endangered species. One of the main activities has been establishing the first mangrove gene reserve in Myanmar with 64 mangrove species, all of which provide habitat for the local dugong and the Green and Hawksbill sea turtle populations.
Participation and local ownership
A range of stakeholders are involved in the project to ensure fairness, ownership and long-term support. These include first and foremost the villagers themselves, but also bodies of local authorities and two local universities. The project has been developed and is implemented by the Worldview International Foundation and its carbon sequestration is accredited by Verified Carbon Standard.
Limiting our carbon footprint
REV Ocean has supported the project financially by buying carbon credits, facilitated by myclimate, that offset CO2-emissions from our work-related flights. The total amount of emissions from flights from 2018 and 2019 that we have offset is 284.11 tCO2e. As a result of Covid-19, all our work travels since March 2020 have come to a halt, but we will continue to offset our future CO2-emissions through this initiative. We are also making calculations to compensate for the construction and operations of our research vessel.