Establishment of a new Marine Nature Reserve along the east coast of the Isle of Man

Coastal Habitats as Carbon Sinks and Biodiversity Hotspots

Recognising that site-specific evidence and research is necessary, the Isle of Man Government committed to undertaking blue carbon research as part of the Climate Change Plan (opens in a new tab) and established the Manx Blue Carbon Project (opens in a new tab).

Coastal habitats such as saltmarshes and eelgrass beds have long been known as important sinks of atmospheric carbon. This means that these habitats are important to protect as part of our journey to net zero, as they actively remove some of the carbon dioxide that we produce.

The Manx Blue Carbon Project’s research, with scientific partners at Bangor and Swansea Universities, in collaboration with the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton, is currently underway. The aim of this research includes a calculation of carbon burial (or sequestration) of key coastal habitats around the Isle of Man.

Preliminary findings of the Blue Carbon research project collected by Swansea University/NOC is provided in Appendix 1 (opens in a new tab), and these have helped inform this current consultation.

To summarise, initial results indicate that saltmarsh and eelgrass beds within the coastal zone of the Isle of Man are indeed important carbon sinks, and therefore protecting such habitats from disturbance may maximise the potential to store carbon and help the Isle of Man mitigate against climate change and meet net zero targets.

In the longer term, results from the Blue Carbon Research Project will inform the Department, and the wider Isle of Man Government, on the most important locations within the Isle of Man territorial sea that warrant protection as part of a Blue Carbon Management Strategy, as required by the Isle of Man Government Climate Change Plan.

In addition to their blue carbon value, such habitats support biodiversity and provide other vital ecosystem services such as nutrient and pollution cycling and coastline protection.