To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to restore marine ecosystems.

My Department is committed to protecting and improving the status of ecosystems in the Northern Ireland marine environment, and in collaboration with the other UK administrations, is preparing an updated programme of measures that will set out the actions needed to achieve Good Environmental Status. This will be subject to public consultation later in 2021.

The marine protected area network plays an important role in protecting and restoring marine ecosystems, and my Department’s current focus is on establishing effective management across the network. A public consultation on fisheries management measures for marine protected areas will close on 31 March 2021. It proposes measures that are considered necessary to protect and restore marine ecosystems that could be damaged by fishing activities. The consultation can be viewed at: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-development-fisheries-management-measures-marine-protected-areas-mpas-and-establishment

My Department has provided grant funding to Ulster Wildlife for a project to assess the feasibility of blue carbon habitat restoration in Northern Ireland. This project will inform the development of future restoration projects. My Department is working with potential delivery partners to develop proposals to restore blue carbon habitats and other marine ecosystems. In addition to restoring degraded habitats, these proposals will include activities for protected species, improving water quality and reducing marine litter.