Coastal and marine ecosystems, including mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltwater marshes, support livelihoods and wellbeing of across the globe. These ‘blue forests’ are vital for coastal and island communities through the many services they provide, such as shoreline protection, providing essential habitat for fisheries and supporting marine biodiversity. They are also significant for our global climate by storing and sequestering atmospheric carbon; giving them additional value and significance in the global climate challenge (a concept also termed ‘blue carbon’).