Blue Carbon Management Integrating Socioeconomic and Environmental Interconnectivity in Southeast Asia: An urgent climate priority

Amani Eva Becker^1*Sarah Bercovici²Jenny Choo³Fakhrurrozi Fakhrurrozi⁴Annabelle Fong⁵Sara Elisabeth Fowell²Emmy Hossain⁶Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein⁷Maryam Jamilah⁸Aazani Mujahid⁶Moritz Müller⁹Jillian Lean-Sim Ooi¹⁰T E Angela Lopez Quiros¹¹Florina Stephanie Richard⁹Ejria Saleh⁷Su Yin Chee¹²Amy Yee-Hui Then⁸Kristina Ticman¹³Julia Wee⁹Chaingi Wong⁹Affendi Yang Amri¹⁴Michael Yap¹⁵Masaya Yoshikai¹⁶Safran Yusri⁴Claire Evans²

• ¹National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
• ²National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom
• ³Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, Sarawak Campus, Swinburne University of Technology, Kuching, Malaysia
• ⁴The Indonesian Coral Reef Foundation (TERANGI), Jakarta, Indonesia
• ⁵Independent Researcher, Selangor, Malaysia
• ⁶Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
• ⁷Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
• ⁸Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• ⁹Swinburne University of Technology - Sarawak Campus Faculty of Engineering Computing and Science, Kuching, Malaysia
• ¹⁰Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• ¹¹ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc., Quezon City, Philippines
• ¹²School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
• ¹³Department of Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
• ¹⁴Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES), Universiti Malaya, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• ¹⁵Seagrass Guardians, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
• ¹⁶School of Engineering, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

This perspective article synthesises insights from a 2023 interdisciplinary workshop in Kuching, Malaysia, where 26 experts examined how land use and land cover change (LULCC) impacts Blue Carbon Ecosystems (BCE) in Southeast Asia (SEA) and identified pathways for integrated, science-informed governance. BCE in SEA (mangroves, seagrasses and tidal wetlands) are globally significant carbon sinks, critical to biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions, dependant on them for food, income and coastal protection. Yet rapid development and socio-economically driven LULCC threaten BCE resilience and carbon storage capacity. Blue Carbon initiatives risk falling short if they overlook the socio-ecological interconnectivity of these systems. Advances in remote sensing, sediment carbon accounting and ecosystem modelling have improved BCE monitoring, but key gaps persist. These include understanding cumulative upstream effects of LULCC on BCE carbon dynamics, integrating socio-economic with ecological data for robust scenario modelling and evaluating governance effectiveness and equity over time. We frame BCE as dynamic, interconnected socio-ecological systems and call for the advancement of systems thinking in coastal and climate policy. We underscore the need for transdisciplinary, nested governance models operating across ecological scales and political boundaries and argue for a systems-based management approach that links land-sea processes, addresses upstream-downstream dynamics and balances carbon market incentives with local needs. Recommendations include improved monitoring and carbon accounting; alignment between science and policy; regionally coordinated governance; and diversifying finance to reflect the full value of BCE beyond carbon. Together, these actions chart a path for resilient, science-based, socially inclusive BCE conservation in SEA.