That the Parliament welcomes the Scottish Government's commitment to develop a Blue Carbon Action Plan to improve the management, protection and enhancement of what it sees as Scotland’s critical blue carbon environments, including those off the coast of Arran, Cumbrae and Ayrshire; understands that these seabed environments sequester CO2 from kelp forests, seagrass, saltmarshes and other coastal ecosystems; notes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Climate Change 2023 Synthesis Report, which states that "coastal blue carbon management can enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions, employment and local livelihoods", and notes the belief that the Blue Carbon Action Plan should include management measures designed to provide appropriate protections for Scotland's key blue carbon habitats.
Supported by: Clare Adamson, Colin Beattie, Ariane Burgess, Stephanie Callaghan, Willie Coffey, Bob Doris, Jackie Dunbar, Maurice Golden, Emma Harper, Bill Kidd, John Mason, Liam McArthur, Ivan McKee, Stuart McMillan, Audrey Nicoll, Mark Ruskell, Kevin Stewart