Mud on the seabed could play an important role in the fight against climate change by storing carbon, helping Ireland meet its climate targets. However, research on this is still in its early stages. "This idea is quite new to most people," says Dr. Tomas Buitendijk, a postdoctoral research fellow at iCRAG, who has recently finished a study on community perceptions of carbon-storing marine sediments in Dundalk Bay as part of the Taking Stock project.
Dundalk Bay may contain large accumulations of carbon-storing sediments, but as Dr. Buitendijk notes, "this is not yet fully understood." Through Taking Stock, he collaborated with a team that includes Dr. Mark Coughlan, Dr. Geertje Schuitema, Britta Thiemt and Prof. Tasman Crowe, to investigate how the community thinks these marine sediments should be managed.
"We asked community members in Dundalk and Clogherhead what Dundalk Bay means to them, whether it’s from a cultural, economic, historical, or environmental perspective," he says. For many, the bay is more than just a landscape. "Everyone feels connected to the bay in a different way," he explains, adding that these connections shape how people think about its potential role in carbon storage.
Taking Stock linked in with the larger Quest project, funded by the Marine Institute, which assesses the carbon storage capacity of Irish marine and coastal sediments.
"If large quantities of carbon are stored in the seabed, this could have implications for human activities that disturb the seabed,” Dr. Buitendijk warns, as moving these sediments around might release CO2. Findings from Taking Stock have been fed into a policy brief , ensuring that local communities’ voices are heard in decision-making processes related to environmental conservation and economic development. "It’s crucial to communicate what the community thinks and is concerned about to policymakers, government, and industry representatives," he says.
Dr. Buitendijk is currently part of a Horizon Europe funded Blue4All project looking at stakeholder engagement for Marine Protected Area (MPA) management. The project uses 25 Information Sites and Living Labs around Europe to ultimately inform a Blueprint Platform to help create MPAs and MPA Networks. Relating to this research, Tomas is also co-leading two new interdisciplinary projects that span the energy-society nexus.
The first, MESSAGE (Marine & Energy Social Sciences & Humanities Interdisciplinary Research Group), brings together experts from science, arts, and the humanities to tackle pressing coastal and renewable energy challenges. "MESSAGE is about working closely with coastal communities, using a wide variety of research approaches to ensure their input shapes the research agenda," says Dr. Buitendijk. The project is jointly initiated by him, Associate Prof. Geertje Schuitema, Dr. Mark Coughlan, and Dr. Fergus McAuliffe, all from the UCD Earth Institute and iCRAG.
The second project, ENACT (Energy Narratives and Change in Coastal Communities in Ireland), is a four-year Marine Institute-funded project (2024-2028) that focuses on understanding the grassroots experiences of communities near proposed offshore wind farms in Co. Clare and Co. Cork. Collaborating with Dr. Josie Taylor, ENACT uses an engaged research approach where researchers and communities co-design the research. Dr. Buitendijk and the team aim to ensure that the energy transition respects local knowledge and cultural values. "Our intention is to foster dialogue and create a pathway for community input into key decision-making processes related to the energy transition," he explains.
Throughout his work, Dr. Buitendijk emphasises the importance of community involvement. He advocates for a shift where people not only express what their environment means to them but also actively participate in shaping the policies that impact it. By integrating scientific research with community insights, projects like Taking Stock, MESSAGE, and ENACT aim to create policies that are scientifically sound and socially equitable.
As the projects progress, the team will continue to facilitate workshops, open dialogues, and educational initiatives to keep communities informed and involved. Dr. Buitendijk highlights the importance of these efforts, noting, "There is a real demand for education on the topic." He underscores the critical need to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and local understanding, with the ultimate goal of "fostering shared responsibility and collective action to preserve the marine environment and support sustainable development."