NEWS: International Cooperation for Blue Carbon – Participation of the Region of Crete and EGTC “Amphictyony” in the BLUEQ Project

As part of the BLUEQ project – Applied Solutions for Monitoring Coastal Habitats and Quantifying Blue Carbon Storage: An Integrated Approach for Sustainable Ecosystem Management, co-financed by the Interreg IPA ADRION programme, the Institute of Geoenergy of FORTH organized two important elaboration meetings:

🔹 On 14 May 2025, in the event hall of the European Parliament in Athens, as part of the event “From Introversion… to Euroversion” held by the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) “Amphictyony” with representatives of local authorities from various regions of the country.

🔹 On 8 July 2025, with the Region of Crete and representatives from the relevant environmental departments.

During the meetings, the BLUEQ project and the main features of the digital tool “BLUEQ Solution” were presented. The tool will serve as a decision-support platform, with a focus on assessing blue carbon accumulation in Posidonia oceanica meadows, Its aim is to support environmental protection planning, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to carbon neutrality goals. Emphasis was placed on the urgent need to protect and restore Posidonia oceanica meadows, as they are a characteristic ‘blue carbon ecosystem’—that is, they can store significant amounts of organic carbon in the underlying sediments for long periods of time. Their degradation leads to the release of this stored carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.

Both stakeholders expressed strong interest in participating in the BLUEQ Observatory and the Blue Carbon Network, through the signing of a memorandum of collaboration in the next phases of the project.

These meetings are part of the project’s co-design approach, ensuring that the outcomes of BLUEQ meet the actual needs of end users at regional and intermunicipal level, and are aligned with the priorities set out in the Blue Carbon Roadmap for EU Member States.

📎 The BLUEQ project is implemented with the collaboration of partners from six countries across the Adriatic-Ionian region (Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina), aiming to promote blue carbon solutions as a key tool for protecting coastal ecosystems and achieving climate neutrality.