THE UK’S seas and coasts store hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon, conservationists have said, as they called for better protection of marine habitats.
A new report on “blue carbon” estimates there are 244 million tonnes of organic carbon locked in the top 10cm of seabed sediments and in coastal habitats such as saltmarsh, kelp and seagrass beds.
But carbon stored in the seas could be released and worsen climate change, through disturbance by human activities such as bottom trawling, which still takes place in protected areas such as MPAS, dragging fishing gear along the sea bed and churning up the sediment in search of fish.
Seabeds are also disturbed by the installation of offshore energy such as wind farms, while coastal habitats are threatened by development and rising seas driven by climate change.
Kirsten Carter, head of UK marine policy at the RSPB, described the report as a “game-changer” for knowledge of the marine environment and urged decision-makers to act on its findings.
She added: “To meet net zero and stop biodiversity decline we must work with nature, not against it.
“This means restoring habitats, properly planning offshore development, and investing in protected areas to safeguard wildlife and keep blue carbon locked up.” https://uk.news.yahoo.com/nature-groups-call-more-protection-230100530.html
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