Building a Coalition to Advance Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal in NZ
We supported the Aotearoa Marine Carbon Forum (AMCF) in its efforts to build a coalition aimed at advancing the understanding of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) in Aotearoa New Zealand.
AMCF
The forum provided independent evidence-based analysis of the potential of nature-based solutions for capturing and storing carbon in Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal waters and ocean.
The forum facilitated the co-ordination and collaboration within and across sectors (research, policy, government, private sector), and with Iwi/Māori, on carbon sequestration and burial in Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine environment. Key to this was a five-part webinar series which took place between April and August 2025 and drew participants from universities, Crown Research Institutes, government agencies and several international research organisation.
The Aotearoa Marine Carbon Forum was endorsed as a Decade Action under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and is hosted by the Decade Programme Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions (GEOS).
The project could inform the development of a marine carbon removal strategy for Aotearoa New Zealand that includes a mātauranga Māori (te Ao Māori and tikanga) approach that respects Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles to ensure the considered delivery of national and international climate and biodiversity objectives.
Other outputs so far are:
- Comprehensive slide decks on key mCDR topics
- A research summary
- A proposal for a national assessment of mCDR techniques in the context of Aotearoa waters
- Strong national and international interest in New Zealand’s mCDR research and emerging approach to its governance has been built, with a mCDR constituency comprising 300 interested parties.
- Presentation of the above work at the NZ Marine Sciences Society Conference.
