Develop management approaches, financial incentives and policy mechanisms for ensuring the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of coastal blue carbon ecosystems; Engage local, national, and international governments in order to promote policies that support coastal blue carbon conservation, management and financing; Develop comprehensive methods for assessing blue carbon stocks and emissions; Implement projects around the world that demonstrate the feasibility of blue carbon accounting, management and incentive agreements; and Support scientific research into the role of coastal blue carbon ecosystems for climate change mitigation.

Each Working Group convenes several times a year. At each Working Group meeting, the Initiative brings together international blue carbon science and policy experts to exchange knowledge and build local capacity.

The Blue Carbon Initiative partners, as well as many other organizations around the world, are working on conservation science, policy and management of blue carbon ecosystems globally. Projects are being developed at sites globally to protect and restore coastal ecosystems for their "blue" carbon value. Major objectives include national-level accounting of carbon stocks and emissions from blue carbon ecosystems, increased management effectiveness of blue carbon ecosystems within protected areas, and the development of blue carbon offsets for tourism activities.