Author: Ruth  Parker,  Theme leader Ecosystem Change (CEFAS)

Designation: 

Description:
The ecosystem service of carbon sequestration and storage provided by the marine system is important in the mitigation of climate change. Blue carbon (BC) habitats and offshore sediments can act as carbon stores and sinks and their management by protection or restoration remains important. Whilst the focus has been largely on vegetated coastal systems, we propose inclusion of carbon stored in offshore seabed environments as recent publications at European and global levels have illustrated the significance of these extensive stocks. Evidence on stock characteristics, burial rate and carbon provenance is key in understanding the risk, vulnerability, magnitude of changes and recoverability of BC under the major shelf scale pressures, namely trawling and climate forcing. Tools such as ecosystem/natural capital accounting, systematically recording physical and monetary variables, can aid decision making around the trade-offs between economic activities and the preservation/conservation of the ecosystems and ecosystem services that support them. Coupling of natural and socio-economic evidence, is needed to underpin future management of seabed carbon stocks to optimise climate change mitigation, including placement, context and efficacy of protection measures of marine protected areas (MPAs) and governance at different scales. Using the UK shelf seas as a case study, this presentation will synthesise and examine the state of knowledge, confidence and components needed to provide a ‘stock take’ of seabed BC and their application to the management of this key climate mitigation service.

Category: Scientific Program Abstract > Special Sessions > SS14 Blue Carbon science for a sustainable future