Blue Carbon Forum Autumn 2026
Welcome back to the UK Blue Carbon Forum.
After a short pause, the Forum is reconvening with a new Secretariat (Athena Blue) and a clear plan for the year. This is our first meeting back, and it is shaping up to be a strong one: fresh evidence on seabed carbon, the latest on carbon measurement standards, a look at blue carbon in the planning system, and updates from across the devolved nations.
Whether you work in science, policy, finance, or practice, this is the room where the UK blue carbon community shares what it knows and finds the people to work with next. Come for the science, stay for the connections.
Why join
Understand where blue carbon sits in the planning system
Hear the findings of the new CINEA study on the seabed's role in carbon storage, and what seabed disturbance means for it
Get to grips with efforts to standardise how we measure carbon accumulation and burial rates, with a live, interactive session
Catch up on progress from the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership and from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Meet potential collaborators, and hear how the Forum is refocusing on joint work and collective action
Programme
10:00 to 10:05, Welcome and agenda. Chair, Professor Hilary Kennedy (Bangor University)
10:05 to 10:10, Secretariat update: the adopted Terms of Reference, meeting rhythm, the newsletter, and a call for content. Kirsty Schneeberger (Athena Blue)
10:10 to 10:40, Standing updates (about 7 minutes each):
UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, including the recent workshop ( Professor Graham Underwood and Lisa Benson);
Wales, the Blue Carbon Forum for Wales (Annette Burden, UKCEH);
Scotland (Dr Corallie Hunt, NatureScot);
Northern Ireland (Dr Liz Pothanikat, DAERA)
10:40 to 11:05, Blue carbon and the planning system, Harry Garside (The Wildlife Trusts). 15 minute talk and 10 minute Q&A.
11:05 to 11:30, The CINEA seabed carbon study, Alasdair O'Dell (Scottish Association for Marine Science). 15 minute talk and 10 minute Q&A.
11:30 to 11:55, Standardising organic carbon accumulation and burial-rate measurements, Hannah Muir (National Oceanography Centre). 15 minute talk and 10 minute discussion.
11:55 to 12:00, Next steps and close. Chair
Speakers and background reading
Harry Garside, The Wildlife Trusts. On blue carbon and the planning system: where coastal and marine habitats sit in environmental impact assessment and marine policy, and what that means for protection and restoration. Harry authored The Wildlife Trusts' work on this: Blue carbon and its implications for Environmental Impact Assessments: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Blue_Carbon_and_its_implications_for_Environmental_Impact_Assessments.pdf Policy briefing, considering blue carbon in marine policy (May 2026): https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Considering_blue_carbon_in_marine_policy_briefing_May_2026.pdf
Alasdair O'Dell, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Presenting the findings of the new study on the seabed's natural carbon sequestration capacity and the impacts of seabed-disturbing activities, commissioned by CINEA, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. The multidisciplinary study mapped organic carbon stocks and accumulation rates across European seabed habitats, analysed the impacts of seabed-disturbing activities on benthic carbon stores, tested spatial management scenarios to protect high-density carbon habitats, and identified policy, legal, and technical options to safeguard marine blue carbon. Read the full report: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/publications/digital-publications/study-seabeds-natural-carbon-sequestration-capacity-and-related-impacts-seabed-disturbing-activities_en
Hannah Muir, National Oceanography Centre (NOC). On efforts to standardise how organic carbon accumulation and burial rates are measured, a live and interactive session with a Miro board and a short vote to surface where the community stands. [Paper link to follow]
About the Forum
The UK Blue Carbon Forum is a neutral, UK-wide convening body for blue carbon science, policy, and practice. It brings together government agencies, scientists, habitat specialists, NGOs, and others working across the four nations. The Secretariat is run by Athena Blue, supported by The Crown Estate.
Register using the button above and the joining link will follow. Have something to share, a project, a paper, a funding call, or a collaboration, or want your organisation featured in our newsletter? Email secretariat@ukbluecarbonforum.com.