Respecting tenure and the bundle of rights in blue carbon guidance
Lawless, S.; Cohen, P.J.; Dudayev, R.; Evans-Illidge, E.; Lovelock, C.E.; Muir, B.; Ogier, E.M.; Pradhan, S.; Morrison, T.H. (2026). Respecting tenure and the bundle of rights in blue carbon guidance. Nat. Clim. Chang. 16(7): 843-853. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02651-8
In: Nature Climate Change. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1758-678X; e-ISSN 1758-6798, more
Related to:Lawless, S.; Cohen, P.J.; Dudayev, R.; Evans-Illidge, E.; Lovelock, C.E.; Muir, B.; Ogier, E.M.; Pradhan, S.; Morrison, T.H. (2026). Blue carbon projects must uphold the land and sea rights of coastal peoples. Nat. Clim. Chang. 16(7): 761-762. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02643-8, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Lawless, S.
- Cohen, P.J.
- Dudayev, R.
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- Evans-Illidge, E.
- Lovelock, C.E., more
- Muir, B.
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- Ogier, E.M.
- Pradhan, S.
- Morrison, T.H.
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| Abstract |
Blue carbon (BC) projects are proposed in the territories of coastal communities, small-scale fishers and Indigenous peoples, yet how the tenure security of rightsholders is conveyed or protected remains uncertain. Here, by analysing 122 BC guidance documents (scientific, policy and technical), we examine the claims, obligations and interpretations of tenure. The documents reveal overlapping and/or competing claims about interactions between BC and tenure rights, ranging from rights-eroding to rights-securing. Despite increased openness to different forms of tenure, only a subset of tenure rights consistently receive emphasis. Six core international obligations to tenure (including the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention) are overlooked. Ambiguity surrounding tenure implications, coupled with disregard for global obligations and narrow rights interpretation, exposes rightsholders to potential land and resource dispossession, and exclusion from benefits. To rectify this, BC guidance must adopt a more comprehensive view of tenure, engage with international standards and rights experts, and ensure accountability to rightsholder |
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