Newsletter - September 2022

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View this email in your browser UK Blue Carbon Forum Newsletter September 2022 The latest edition of the UK Blue Carbon Forum newsletter is here to keep you updated on current research and activities in the blue carbon community. Scroll down to find out the latest. Forum News The next Core Forum meeting is scheduled to take place on Tue 29 November, 2pm - 4pm. If you are not a member of the Forum and would be interested in exploring membership, or if you are a member and have not received an invitation, please get in touch with the Secretariat. Next Blue Carbon Meeting We are thrilled that the four UK Blue Carbon Forum Working Groups are now established and setting up meetings to focus on making progress on specific aspects of the UK blue carbon science and policy spaces. If you are not currently involved in the Working Groups and would like to be, contact the Secretariat who will put you in touch with the relevant Working Group Chairs. For reference, the four Working Groups are: WG1: Natural Systems WG2: Impacts WG3: Habitats, Conservation and Restoration WG4: Policy and Markets Website Updates Our website continues to expand! Find the most recent additions at the link below. We continue to welcome contributions to the website so please do feel free to approach us with content that may be relevant to future newsletters. This might include project developments, upcoming or recent events, and opportunities for funding or collaboration. Find out more Blue Carbon News UK Blue Carbon Mapping As outline by Bex Lynam, from North Sea Wildlife Trusts, in our latest Core Forum meeting, the new UK Blue Carbon Mapping Project - led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and funded by WWF-UK in collaboration with The Wildlife Trusts and RSPB - aims to map all the UK's blue carbon stores. Expanding on a prior projects focused on Scottish inshore waters, and the English North Sea, this study will assess the carbon storage and sequestration potential of the whole of the UK’s EEZ, as well as within Marine Protected Areas. Statistics will be produced for the whole UK, and also broken down by country, region and individuals MPAs. There will also be a more in-depth case study for each regional sea. To complement the study, the analysis of archived sea shelf sediments will be carried out to give improved estimates for carbon storage. The expected outputs will comprise regional assessment report chapters, including reviews of the current extent and distribution of each blue carbon habitat, alongside sequestration rates and risks from human-induced environmental pressures. These will be published individually and then compiled into a UK wide assessment, to be publish in summer 2023. Find out more Scottish Blue Carbon Forum Researchers from the University of St Andrews have collaborated with Scotland Government scientists with support from the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum to develop a new predictive approach that will help assess how vulnerable the UK’s seabed carbon stores are to the pressures of bottom trawling by fishing boats. The research aims to deliver important new evidence to help understand why some regions of the sea shelf may be more vulnerable to disturbance than others. The research will also improve the understanding of the areas of the seabed where sedimentary organic carbon is likely to be at greatest risk from bottom trawling. Find out more Seagrass Ocean Rescue The UK’s largest seagrass restoration project is to take place off the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd and Anglesey, Wales. The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project plans to plant 5 million seeds to create 10 hectares of seagrass meadow by the end of 2026. The project, managed by WWF in partnership with the Project Seagrass Charity, Swansea University, North Wales Wildlife Trust and Pen Llŷn a'r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation, aims to increase biodiversity while simultaneously sequestering carbon. It is said that a single hectare of seagrass meadow can harbour up to 80,000 fish and 100 million invertebrates! Find out more Manx Blue Carbon Project An insightful new film based in the Isle of Man has been released to showcase the Manx Blue Carbon Project. The project is an initiative delivered by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture in partnership with the National Oceanography Centre and Swansea University. The project hopes to gather evidence in the first year which could be used to develop a cutting-edge blue carbon management plan. Find out more Seeding Change Together Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Seasalt Cornwall have teamed up to launch the three-year Seeding Change Together project based in Fal Ruan nature reserve, Cornwall. The project plans to plant thousands of seagrass seeds to understand the optimal growing conditions for it and aims to restore dwarf seagrass beds in the River Fal. Find out more Useful Resources Seagrass Spotter Tool Project Seagrass produced a Seagrass Spotter Tool which helps individuals locate, explore, identify and learn about seagrass around the globe! The Planetary Role of Seagrass Conservation Scientists from Project Seagrass and Swansea University have released new research which unfolds the planetary role of seagrass conservation and how this conservation is vital if we are to fight the planetary crisis. Citizen Science and Soil Blue Carbon Stocks New research used citizen science to estimate soil blue carbon stocks in Great British saltmarshes in order to aid their protection and management. Seagrass Restoration Handbook The useful Seagrass Restoration Handbook, commissioned by the Environment Agency, provides practical guidance on positive actions to restore marine habitats and species. Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*. All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|**|LIST:DESCRIPTION|**|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe