关键词: 蓝碳生态系统, 碳汇, 产权, 碳交易

Abstract:

Against the backdrop of China’s “Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality” goals, blue carbon ecosystems—such as mangroves, coastal salt marshes, and seagrass meadows—have garnered increasing attention as critical natural carbon sinks. However, institutional barriers related to the definition, confirmation, and registration of carbon sequestration property rights continue to hinder the development of blue carbon trading projects in China. This paper systematically reviews the current status and key challenges of property rights clarification mechanisms in China’s blue carbon initiatives. It further synthesizes international practices in the allocation of carbon rights within blue carbon projects and explores the specific difficulties associated with attributing carbon sink rights across the three major ecosystem types. Through a comparative analysis of international case studies, the research finds that China’s blue carbon property rights framework remains at an exploratory stage, with relevant legal and regulatory systems yet to be fully developed. Overlapping administrative responsibilities across sectors (including natural resources, ecological environment, forestry, and marine affairs) have led to significant coordination challenges. Moreover, the ownership and benefit entitlement to carbon revenues derived from natural resources, such as mangroves, remain unclear, with management entities often lacking autonomous control over carbon-related income. To address these issues, this paper recommends establishing a standardized and unified property rights registration system for blue carbon ecosystems, improving incentive mechanisms, and enhancing regulatory enforcement. These measures aim to clarify carbon sink ownership, improve the efficiency of market-based carbon trading, and support ecosystem restoration and value realization. The findings provide policy insights to advance China’s climate actions and ecological civilization goals.

Key words: Blue carbon ecosystems, Carbon sink, Property rights, Carbon trading