VALUATION (Valuing Blue Carbon in Scotland's Marine Protected Area Network)

潮下和潮间带海洋栖息地及其相关的碳汇越来越被认为是通过封存和储存二氧化碳来调节全球气候的重要生态系统。这些蓝碳储备是任何国家自然资本（支撑经济的自然资产）的重要组成部分，但在很大程度上被忽视了。这些栖息地对气候调节和经济增长的重要性意味着它们必须在未来得到保护和管理。然而，总的来说，特别是对于潮下栖息地，缺乏管理选择，这主要是由于缺乏能够公正评估不同生态系统中碳汇的决策支持工具，并评估对碳汇的威胁。苏格兰目前有一个海洋保护区（MPA）网络，覆盖了约20%的领海，虽然没有专门为不列颠哥伦比亚省的资源指定，但这些MPA是不列颠哥伦比亚省埋葬和气候调节的重要场所，苏格兰自然遗产（SNH）委托研究强调。大型海洋保护区网络与全球最好的不列颠哥伦比亚省数据集相结合，使苏格兰成为开发决策支持工具的最佳地点之一，以协助管理和保护海洋保护区中的不列颠哥伦比亚省。经济评估技术提供了一种方法方法来比较不同生境提供的碳固存服务的货币价值。这将突出对BC封存最有价值的栖息地/海洋保护区，允许对优先区域进行有针对性的成本效益管理。此外，这种方法还可以将生物保护区的价值与可能威胁到海洋保护区和生物保护区资源的行业的价值进行比较，例如海底拖网捕捞。通过使用经济学来评估MPA中的BC，我们将提供数据，以协助实现英国气候变化法案规定的C会计法定责任，并支持到2020年将BC自然资本纳入英国环境账户。

Subtidal and intertidal marine habitats and their associated carbon sinks are increasingly recognised as important ecosystems for global climate regulation through the sequestration and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). These stores of Blue Carbon (BC) are an important but largely overlooked component of any nation's natural capital (natural assets which underpin the economy). The importance of these habitats to both climate regulation and economic growth means they must be protected and managed in the future. Yet generally, there are a deficit of management options especially for subtidal habitats, largely due to the lack of a decision support tool capable of impartially assessing BC sequestration in different ecosystems and evaluating the threats to that BC sink.Scotland currently has a marine protected area (MPA) network covering ~20% of its territorial waters, though not specifically designated for BC resources these MPA's are important sites for BC burial and climate regulation as highlight by research commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The large MPA network combined with one of the best BC datasets globally available makes Scotland one of the best places to develop a decision support tool to assist in the management and preservation of the BC in MPA's. Economic valuation techniques provided a methodological approach to compare the monetary value of the C sequestration service the different habitats provide. This will highlight the most valuable habitat/MPA for BC sequestration, allowing targeted cost effective management to priority areas. In addition, this approach allows a comparison of the value of the BC to the value of industries which may threaten the MPA and BC resources, such as bottom trawling. Through using economics to assess the BC in MPA's we will provided data to assist in achieving the statutory responsibility for C accounting set out by the UK Climate Change Act and support the incorporation of BC natural capital into the UK Environmental Accounts by 2020.