Marine ecosystems are severely threatened, with 66% of coastal areas degraded. To solve this situation, a recent study published in Nature Communications, conducted by 24 marine biologists on 764 restoration operations, demonstrates the effectiveness of marine habitat restoration, with varying success rates: 74% for salt marshes, 67-70% for coral reefs and animal forests, and 56% for seagrass beds such as Posidonia oceanica.
Ecosystems such as seagrass beds, mangroves and salt marshes offer significant benefits in carbon sequestration, with favourable cost-benefit ratios (0.05-1.7, up to 4 for coral reefs), making them ideal for carbon credit projects.
According to the study, active restoration is more effective but more expensive than passive restoration, although the ecosystem benefits generated (fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, carbon sequestration) generally outweigh the costs of intervention. Expanding these efforts requires appropriate political, economic and technological instruments, with a growing private sector interest in blue restoration. Marine Protected Areas can act as buffer zones for active restoration efforts, amplifying ecological and social benefits.
