Novel carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches are essential to address climate change. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is being considered to enhance the ocean’s capacity as an atmospheric carbon sink. It is widely recognised that responsible development and deployment of marine-based CDR requires effective engagement with local stakeholders. This article considers how stakeholders could actively participate in OAE, enhancing their agency and identifying pathways to incorporate their skills and knowledge into research and deployment activities. Adopting a place-based approach in Tasmania, Australia, we interviewed 23 participants and asked them how they might contribute to future OAE activities in/around this island state. Participants saw themselves contributing to one or more activity-based themes: knowledge creation, regulatory oversight, safeguarding values, and/or stakeholder networking. While some responses were predictable (i.e. government representatives adopting regulatory roles), others were unexpected, highlighting the importance of proactively engaging with stakeholders. Several participants identified the need for further support to effectively perform their roles, including expert advice and access to resources. Capacity assessments can evaluate the ability of local stakeholders to play an active role in OAE activities and thus inform strategies to bolster capacity through learning and infrastructure development. We recommend integrating capacity assessments into OAE/marine CDR stakeholder engagement strategies. Further research is needed to develop and implement capacity assessments for OAE and other marine CDR approaches.

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