Aninver Leads Sensitization Workshop in Trinidad and Tobago for the Blue Carbon Credit Project

This week, Aninver Development Partners was honored to be in Trinidad and Tobago leading the first Sensitization Workshop under the project “Piloting a Blue Carbon Credit System in Tobago” (TT-T1141), a pioneering initiative financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and implemented in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA).
The project, launched in 2025, seeks to establish a high-quality Blue Carbon Credit (BCC) Scheme that leverages the country’s rich coastal ecosystems for climate change mitigation, sustainable development, and livelihood enhancement.

Aninver was represented by a multidisciplinary team of consultants led by Ms. Olivia Fava Verde, Team Leader, who guided participants through the project’s vision, objectives, and opportunities for both the public and private sectors, as well as community and civil society stakeholders.

Building a Framework for Blue Carbon in Trinidad and Tobago

The Blue Carbon Credit Project is a groundbreaking effort designed to help Trinidad and Tobago tap into the growing global carbon markets through the sustainable management of its coastal ecosystems — particularly mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and coral reefs.
These ecosystems are among the planet’s most efficient natural carbon sinks. Research indicates that they sequester carbon at rates up to ten times greater than tropical forests, storing three to five times more carbon per hectare. Yet, until recently, the potential of these systems to generate verified carbon credits has remained underdeveloped in the Caribbean context.

Supported by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which allows countries to trade verified emission reductions through internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs), the project aims to design and test a simulation of a national blue carbon credit system. This framework will help the country align its coastal conservation efforts with international climate finance mechanisms.

The consultancy, led by Aninver, focuses on developing a regulatory and governance framework, a digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system, and a toolkit for implementing high-quality blue carbon projects that comply with global standards. The project will also deliver four workshops — two sensitization sessions and two technical training events — to build national capacity and ensure stakeholder ownership.

The Role of the Sensitization Workshop

The workshop held this week in Tobago represents a key milestone in the project’s initial phase. It was designed to raise awareness among government representatives, private sector actors, NGOs, academic institutions, and local communities about the potential of blue carbon initiatives to drive sustainable economic growth and environmental resilience.

Through interactive sessions and group discussions, participants explored the science, policy, and economics of blue carbon, including the role of carbon markets, MRV systems, and safeguards for equitable benefit-sharing.
The event also introduced participants to the High-Quality Blue Carbon Principles developed at COP27, which ensure that carbon credits are not only environmentally credible but also socially just and economically viable.

One of the workshop’s highlights was a session on Trinidad and Tobago’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The country’s current NDC aims to achieve a 15% cumulative reduction in national emissions by 2030, with an unconditional 30% reduction in public transport emissions. Integrating blue carbon projects into this strategy will provide an innovative pathway to achieving those targets, while supporting coastal protection, biodiversity conservation, and community livelihoods.

Project Sites: Where Nature Meets Climate Action

The Blue Carbon Credit Project focuses on several ecologically significant sites across Trinidad and Tobago:

• Bon Accord Lagoon / Buccoo Reef (Tobago): The island’s largest mangrove complex, connected to seagrass beds and coral reefs, offering a unique ecosystem mosaic ideal for blue carbon accounting and tourism-linked livelihood activities.
• Kilgwyn Swamp (Tobago): A smaller, yet critical mangrove area with potential for rehabilitation and community-based conservation.
• Caroni Swamp (Trinidad): One of the Caribbean’s most iconic wetlands, home to the national bird, the scarlet ibis. It is a Ramsar-listed site and represents the country’s largest estuarine mangrove ecosystem.

These locations combine ecological richness with community presence, making them ideal pilots for demonstrating how nature-based solutions can deliver verified, tradable carbon outcomes while generating tangible local benefits.
As discussed during the workshop, protecting even 20% of global mangroves could yield an estimated 30 million tons of CO₂ reductions annually. In Trinidad and Tobago, the protection and restoration of these ecosystems can thus serve as a cornerstone of both national climate strategy and economic diversification.

Bridging Climate Action and Community Development

Aninver’s approach emphasizes that blue carbon initiatives must be inclusive, transparent, and fair.

Workshop discussions addressed how Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), benefit-sharing mechanisms, and gender-sensitive participation can ensure that coastal communities — especially women, youth, and fishers — are active participants and beneficiaries of blue carbon projects.

Participants were also introduced to real-world examples such as Delta Blue Carbon in Pakistan, which demonstrated how mangrove restoration can generate both verified carbon credits and new income sources for local populations through employment in planting, monitoring, and conservation activities.

Group exercises encouraged attendees to identify site-specific challenges and opportunities, from land tenure complexities and data availability to capacity-building needs and financing pathways.

Each team proposed actionable “quick wins” for the coming months, such as forming local working groups, enhancing data collection, and exploring partnerships for pilot initiatives.

Laying the Foundation for Market Readiness

Another key theme of the workshop was market readiness — preparing the regulatory and institutional infrastructure needed for Trinidad and Tobago to issue credible carbon credits aligned with international standards.
Aninver’s presentation explained how a National Digital Carbon Registry, designed in compliance with Article 6 requirements, would function like a “bank ledger” to track each carbon credit from issuance to retirement, ensuring transparency, traceability, and integrity.

Participants learned that for blue carbon to become a viable economic instrument, the country must ensure no double-counting, establish clear carbon ownership rules, and connect its national MRV system to international databases such as the UNFCCC Article 6 database or the Climate Warehouse.

These mechanisms are critical for ensuring that the credits generated are Paris-aligned, attractive to investors, and recognized globally for their environmental and social quality.

Positioning Trinidad and Tobago as a Regional Leader

Trinidad and Tobago’s strong institutional base — including the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), and the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) — provides a solid foundation for developing a robust blue carbon market.

As noted in the workshop, the country’s National Environmental Policy (2018), Climate Change Policy (2025), and Wetland Conservation Policy (2001) already provide a policy framework for integrating blue carbon initiatives into national development.

By embedding global best practices in carbon accounting, governance, and social inclusion, Trinidad and Tobago can become a regional pioneer in linking climate action with community prosperity. Early adopters of high-integrity blue carbon credits stand to gain both reputational and financial benefits as global demand for nature-based carbon solutions continues to rise.

About Aninver Development Partners

Aninver Development Partners is an international consultancy firm specializing in sustainable development, digital innovation, and public-private partnerships (PPPs). The firm provides strategic and technical advisory services to development agencies, governments, and the private sector across Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Through its work on the Trinidad and Tobago Blue Carbon Credit Project, Aninver reinforces its commitment to advancing climate-smart solutions that foster resilience, inclusiveness, and long-term economic growth.