Indigenous stewardship and co-management in action: a case study on blue carbon from a mangrove ecosystem on the Great Barrier Reef

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Blue carbon ecosystems play a vital role in climate change mitigation and adaptation through their capacity to sequester and store organic carbon. Queensland, Australia, contains over 500,000 ha of mangroves, much of it under the stewardship of Traditional Custodians. The mangrove forests of the Bidakarra (Barron River) estuary provide a unique opportunity to demonstrate how Indigenous leadership, scientific research, and local industry partnerships can advance both ecological and cultural outcomes. We present a co-designed case study from Kukujum (Ellie Point), an area co-managed by Cairns Airport, Yirrganydji Gurabana Aboriginal Corporation, and the Yirrganydji Land and Sea Ranger Program through Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation. The project combined collaborative planning, field-based carbon assessments, and community engagement to exchange Traditional Knowledge and scientific expertise. Results showed Ceriops tagal as the dominant species, with tree densities from 1000 to 4400 ha −1 . The forest stores ∼120,000 tonnes of organic carbon to 1 m depth, with 69 % in sediments (accumulating at 1.84 ± 0.11 tonnes C ha −1 yr −1 ) and 31 % in biomass. By embedding Indigenous stewardship into blue carbon assessment, this work highlights governance models that align climate and biodiversity goals with cultural priorities. The findings provide actionable insights for policy frameworks seeking to integrate nature-based solutions, equitable benefit-sharing, and community-led coastal management, offering a replicable approach for other regions balancing ecological sustainability with Indigenous rights. • Indigenous-led co-design merged cultural knowledge with blue carbon science. • Mangrove cover in study area remained stable over three decades. • Ceriops tagal is the dominant species, reaching high stand densities. • Sediments contain 69 % of carbon, accumulating at 1.84 t C ha −1 yr −1 . • Partnership model offers a template for equitable, resilient coastal governance.

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