Coles has announced a $10 million partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation to help strengthen the regeneration of the coral reef system.
Aligning with Coles’ Together to Zero sustainability ambitions, the ‘Blue Carbon Partnership’ will help mitigate the impact of climate change and protect the Barrier’s marine ecosystems.
Blue carbon is the process of capturing and storing carbon from the air in oceanic or coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and tidal marshes. It acts as a sponge that stores the carbon particles underground for centuries.
The company will work on two pilot projects including coastal habitat restoration with farmers where they restore and reinstate significant coastal wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment and also develop large scale seagrass nurseries in partnership with seagrass researchers and Traditional Owners of the reef.
Coles CEO Steven Cain said: “Unlocking Australia’s blue carbon potential by investing in projects that support revegetation and regeneration of coastal ecosystems is crucial to preserving the Reef.”
Thinus Keeve, chief sustainability, property and export officer at Coles, said the programs will provide benefits that stretch far beyond the reef itself.
“Our investment in the regeneration and revegetation of coastal ecosystems will help build the resilience of the Reef and deliver projects that can make a difference at a meaningful scale,” he said.