Coastal wetlands, such as mangroves, saltmarshes and seagrasses, are Australia’s forgotten coastal habitats. However, these habitats provide many benefits to humans including supporting coastal fisheries, protecting our coastlines, storing carbon (aka Blue Carbon) and providing areas for tourism and recreational activities.

These benefits are vital not only for our health and wellbeing, but are also critical for the long-term resilience and survival of our planet. However, managers, planners and economists often struggle to include the social, cultural and economic value derived from nature into economic decision-making, and hence, the true value of nature’s enormous wealth is often left unaccounted or undervalued.