User Consultation Meeting: A demonstration of our blue carbon monitoring tool
The European Space Agency (ESA) and all consortium members are organising a User Consultation Meeting on Coastal Blue Carbon (UCM), which will take place from 8 to 10 April 2026 at ESA’s ESRIN premises in Frascati, Italy.
About our project
The ESA Coastal Blue Carbon project aims to develop and demonstrate satellite-based products supporting the protection and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems: seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and mangroves.
By combining Earth Observation (EO) data from the Copernicus and Sentinel missions with in-situ datasets, the project delivers habitat, biomass (mangroves), and carbon-stock maps.
These products are designed to assist coastal managers, scientists, policy makers, and investors in strengthening conservation, improving carbon accounting, and fostering climate adaptation efforts.
This meeting will allow to share results and experiences, and collectively shape priorities for operational blue carbon monitoring.
About the meeting
The three-day User Consultation Meeting will bring together representatives from public institutions, research organizations, NGOs, and international initiatives engaged in blue carbon and coastal management. It will serve as an open forum to share results, exchange experiences, and collectively shape future priorities for operational blue carbon monitoring.
Agenda overview
April 8
Afternoon only
The first day will set the strategic framework of the meeting, moving from international climate and ocean policies to blue carbon implementation pathways. High-level organisations will share perspectives on global priorities, MRV challenges, finance mechanisms and the role of Earth Observation in supporting national and international reporting frameworks.
April 9
Full day
The second day will focus on the operational dimension of the ESA Coastal Blue Carbon products. Participants will explore our methodology, test habitat and carbon stock maps via the geoportal our consortium created, and engage in ecosystem-specific discussions to assess usability, validation needs and integration into monitoring and reporting processes.
April 10
Morning only
The final day will be dedicated to synthesis and forward planning. Breakout groups will refine technical requirements and formulate recommendations, paving the way for product improvements, strengthened collaboration pathways and the next phase of operational blue carbon monitoring.
A preliminary agenda for the meeting is available.
What we will achieve
Experts and potentiel users’ participation will be highly valuable to ensure that the project’s outcomes respond to users’ real needs and to contribute to defining the next steps of this ESA-led initiative.
Interested?
Share your interest to participate by filling the form below. Please note that travel and participation costs will be covered by participants themselves.
