Embedding ecosystem-based adaptive management in blue carbon markets: a conceptual framework and operational roadmap for China

Coastal “blue carbon” ecosystems are increasingly targeted for carbon finance, yet persistent gaps in market integrity, governance, and long-term stewardship limit their contribution to climate goals. This review examines how ecosystem-based adaptive management (EAM) can be used as an operational bridge between blue-carbon ecology and carbon trading mechanisms, with a particular focus on China’s emerging market. We synthesize international standards and methodologies, analyse governance archetypes from Kenya, Australia, the United States, and Japan, and review recent Chinese methodologies and pilot projects across mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows. On this basis, we map core EAM functions—iterative planning, implementation, monitoring, and adjustment—onto key carbon-market integrity requirements (additionality, permanence, Monitoring–Reporting–Verification, and leakage control) and onto investor needs such as risk assessment, buffers, and co-benefit recognition. The analysis identifies common integrity challenges for blue-carbon crediting, ecosystem-specific financial and technical constraints, and a set of transferable remedies, including digital and stratified monitoring, dynamic buffers and insurance, and participatory safeguards and benefit-sharing. Building on these insights, we develop a finance-aware integration framework and an operational roadmap for China that links adaptive indicators and thresholds to methodology design, verification cadence, issuance logic, buffer management, registry transparency, and performance-linked financing. The framework clarifies how embedding EAM in blue-carbon standards and trading architecture can reduce uncertainty, raise credit quality, and support premium pricing while sustaining ecological performance and delivering coastal protection, biodiversity, and livelihood co-benefits under China’s “30·60” climate targets.