Online news outlet Adelaide Now covers the release of our new report; Stocking Up: Securing Our Marine Economy (available to Download here). The article draws attention to one of the key messages of the report, the economic value of the carbon that is stored in our oceans ecosystems.

“Sea grasses store 10 to 40 times as much carbon per hectare as forests, and Australia’s sea-grass meadows are the largest in the world, a report by the Centre for Policy Development says.

Considering the Gillard government wants to charge $23 per tonne of carbon emitted by Australia’s biggest polluters, that would make Australia’s coastal seagrass beds worth $79 per hectare, the report’s authors added at its official launch today.” 

The report recognises some of the added value that our oceans and marine parks contribute to our economy, most of it unnoticed.

“Ocean ecosystems add an extra $25 billion to the national economy each year which is not accounted for in official figures, the report says. These includes $15.8 billion a year in carbon storage” 

Read the complete article here

READ the key findings & recommendations in Stocking Up: Securing Our Marine Economy here.

DOWNLOAD the report here