Some restoration efforts (particularly those most studied such as mangroves and salt marshes) are generally feasible, local, and have high local governability(Gattuso et al., 2018) , however the scale and durability of these efforts will be critical to their success as effective CDR pathways. The restoration of marine habitats and species aligns with several broad-reaching international agreements and domestic laws (NASEM, 2022). Several international agreements and policies that recognize the value and importance of restoring marine life and ecosystems and that may be important when considering scaling up restoration efforts include:

• Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• The United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)
• UNFCCC Paris Agreement
• Coastal ecosystems can be included in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
• Global Biodiversity Framework
• Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
• UN High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Treaty)
• The Habitats Directive (European Commission)

Examples of agreements aimed at protecting marine life

• The Endangered Species Act (United States)
• The Marine Mammal Protection Act (United States)
• The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (United States)
• Marine Protected Areas (Note that MPAs are designed to protect and conserve biodiversity, rather than carbon. For coastal systems, these will be located in national or state waters.)

Examples of US Blue Carbon Policy

• Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crist at Home and Abroad (2021): Places the climate crisis at the forefront of foreign policy and national security planning.
• America the Beautiful Initiative: Outlines inclusive and collaborative plan for locally led efforts to conserve, steward, and restore land and waters.
• Justice 40 Initiative: A national commitment to environmental justice which includes investments in the reduction of legacy pollution.  
• Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP): Includes ongoing and planned federal ocean-based climate mitigation and adaptation activities and recommends new or enhances ocean science and policy actions to tackle climate change. It also includes environmental justice considerations into ocean-based climate solutions.
• CREST Act of 2023: An expansion on the current research and development programs of the Department of Energy for capturing and storing carbon dioxide to include methods like CDR.
• Coastal Habitat Conservation Act of 2023: Authorizes the appropriation of $111.5 million over the 2024-2028 period for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to implement the Coastal Program.

• Prioritize leadership and partnership with local communities and recognize formal and informal tenure agreements.
• Networks of nations (e.g., International Partnership for Blue Carbon) can aid in building capacity to implement policies that support blue carbon projects.
• New IPCC inventory guidance is needed on emissions inventories for climate mitigation resulting from restoring seagrass, seaweed, and other blue carbon ecosystems (the current lack of guidance here also limits private sector investment)

• Property rights, coastal and offshore, are often unclear, not well defined, or not enforced, begging the question, who has jurisdiction over what. This is further complicated by the lateral movement of carbon in blue carbon ecosystems.
• Local governance of global commons is further complicated by local contexts, management structures, and benefit-sharing rules (Merk et al., 2022).
• Permitting may also pose an additional obstacle for some restoration projects.
• Regulations for coastal developments could impede coastal vegetated ecosystem restoration and limit the ability to launch larger restoration projects.