NDM8283 Welsh Conservatives Debate - Blue carbon habitats

NDM8283 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Recognises Welsh seas contain seagrass, saltmarsh, and seaweed blue carbon habitats, encompassing more than 99km² of the Welsh marine protected areas network. 

2. Notes that carbon is already stored away in Welsh marine sediments. 

3. Regrets that up to 92 per cent of the UK’s seagrass has disappeared in the last century, as highlighted in the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee’s Report on the Welsh Government’s marine policies.

4. Acknowledges that the carbon-storing capabilities of the ocean is critical in meeting the target of becoming net-zero by 2050. 

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) create a national blue carbon recovery plan for Wales, designed to maintain and enhance our invaluable marine blue carbon habitats;

b) build on the success of Project Seagrass, a collaboration between Sky Ocean Rescue, WWF and Swansea University which aims to restore 20,000m² of seagrass, by planting over 750,000 seeds in Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire; and

c) develop a Welsh national marine development plan which clearly shows where blue carbon projects can take place. 

Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee: Report on the Welsh Government’s marine policies

The following amendment was tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all after point 3 and replace with:

Believes that emerging opportunities for expanding Wales's carbon sink, such blue carbon, should be pursued to accelerate our net zero pathway rather than to delay action.

Calls on the UK Government to devolve the Crown Estate so that more decisions affecting blue carbon are made in Wales.

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) deliver national blue carbon recovery by funding the maintenance and enhancement of Wales's seagrass, saltmarsh and other nature- and carbon-rich coastal habitats;

b) build on the success of all projects across Wales delivering marine habitat restoration, including Project Seagrass’s successful work in Dale and the recently funded Ocean Rescue Seagrass project led by North Wales Wildlife Trust, targeting restoration off the Llyn Peninsula; and

c) deliver a spatial approach to marine planning which ensures that blue carbon projects are located to achieve maximum nature benefit whilst enabling other important marine activities including fishing, shipping and energy.