Northern Ireland must take immediate action to protect its vital blue carbon habitats, DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has stated. The Minister made the call as he launched Northern Ireland's first Blue Carbon Action Plan at Mount Stewart in Co Down today.

The new Blue Carbon Action Plan contains 22 key action points and will serve as the foundation for the protection of Northern Ireland's blue carbon ecosystems. It also aims to provide nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change through the absorption of carbon dioxide within the Northern Ireland inshore area.

Launching the plan, Minister Muir emphasised the urgency of the situation. "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." He highlighted the crucial role of these coastal habitats. "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."

Minister Muir drew attention to the local context, saying, "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."

He acknowledged the collaborative effort involved in developing the plan. "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."