Muir launches Northern Ireland’s first Blue Carbon Action Plan

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has said Northern Ireland must take immediate action to protect its blue carbon habitats.

The Minister was speaking as he launched Northern Ireland's first Blue Carbon Action Plan at Mount Stewart in Co Down.

Northern Ireland's first Blue Carbon Action Plan, which contains 22 action points, will provide the foundation for the protection of our blue carbon habitats. It will also provide for nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change through the absorption of carbon dioxide in the Northern Ireland inshore area.

Launching the Blue Carbon Action Plan, the Minister said: “We need to take immediate action to tackle the double crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss.  We must protect our blue carbon habitats to maximise their ability to capture greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate the effects of climate change and enhance biodiversity.

“Blue carbon habitats like saltmarsh, sea grass, kelp and mussel beds capture and store carbon as well as supporting a unique and diverse range of plant and animals.  Habitats like saltmarsh provide ecosystem benefits, such as mitigating against coastal flooding and kelp forest can mitigate the impacts of storms on our coastline. 

“Here on the shores of Strangford Lough, we are never too far from a diverse range of blue carbon habitats – with saltmarsh and sea grass in the northern section, kelp forests in the deeper waters at the Narrows and native shellfish beds throughout the Lough.”

The Minister continued: “My Department developed this plan through working closely with a wide range of stakeholders and I am extremely grateful to our partners for the time they invested in this process.   As we now move into the exciting implementation phase, it is even more important that these partnerships with the Department continue working in the co-delivery of the Blue Carbon Action Plan to ensure that our environment is managed in a way that tackles both the climate change and biodiversity crises.”

The Blue Carbon Action Plan can be located on the DAERA website at: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-blue-carbon-action-plan-2025-2030.

Notes to editors:

1. The consultation on the Blue Carbon Action Plan was launched in April 2024.
2. The Blue Carbon Action Plan was developed using an innovative co-design approach with the Biodiversity and Climate Stakeholder Working Group which was formed in 2022.
3. Blue carbon is the term used to describe carbon that is captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, accumulating over long timescales through natural processes.  Blue carbon habitats in temperate coastal and inshore environments include saltmarsh, seagrass beds, shellfish beds, kelp, and maerl beds. These habitats, when well managed can increase carbon sequestration and can also act as nature-based solutions offering protection against coastal erosion and flooding and habitats to support wider biodiversity including nursery grounds for commercially important fish species.  There are also wider societal benefits including opportunities for recreation and improved water quality.