Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots MLA has said that we must all work together to protect and restore one of our important natural assets, our blue carbon habitats.

The Minister made his comments during an Oral Statement in the NI Assembly, where he outlined his Department’s intention to develop an action plan to protect and restore Northern Ireland’s blue carbon habitats.

Minister Poots said: “The Northern Ireland marine area is 6,855km2 and represents approximately one third of our natural environment. The coast, and the seas around it, include highly productive and biologically diverse ecosystems. Our marine natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides support tourism, recreation, aquaculture and fisheries and this Blue economy is an important component of our Northern Ireland economy.”

The Minister continued: “The importance of blue carbon habitats and their contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation is now globally recognised. Therefore, our blue carbon habitats need to be protected as when they are degraded or damaged, their carbon sink capacity is lost and the stored carbon is released. By acting now and developing a blue carbon action plan, we can take steps to help protect and restore blue carbon habitats in the Northern Ireland marine and coastal environment.

More information can be read here and here.