Many of these figures have come from the newly published

WWF, The Wildlife Trusts, and the RSPB are calling on the UK government to "strengthen protections for valuable blue carbon stores by minimising the impacts of human activities on the seabed".The Blue Carbon Mapping Project, published on Thursday, give the first estimate of carbon stored in UK seabed habitats, including Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

The reports found 36.4m tonnes of organic carbon are stored in just the top 10cm of seabed sediments in the English Channel and Western Approaches Region, which covers 111,469 sq km, plus coastal habitats including salt marshes and sea-grass beds.The project highlights how physical disturbances to the seabed, such as bottom trawling, moorings and offshore developments, can release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, worsening climate change.Peter Burgess, director of nature recovery at Devon Wildlife Trust, said: "The South West’s marine and coastal habitats support a stunning array of wildlife – from seahorses sheltering in sea grass beds through to whales, dolphins, and blue finned tuna off our shores.

"This pioneering research now reveals how crucial our marine seabed habitats are in locking up vast quantities of carbon."The larger the area of seabed which is left intact, the brighter the future will be for both us, our climate and wildlife.”

There is now call for better management of MPAs.

Tom Brook, blue carbon specialist at WWF-UK, said: "While salt marshes and kelp forests punch above their weight in terms of capturing carbon, the mud really is the star here – accumulating and storing vast amounts on the seabed.The Welsh government said its "intention is to foster a sense of shared responsibility between residents and visitors to protect and invest in local areas and encourage a more sustainable approach for tourism".

Children from low-income families could miss out on school trips if a tourism tax is introduced in Wales, ministers have been warned.Scouts Cymru said young people could miss out on the "life-changing experience of camps and overnight stays".

A centre which runs residential courses for schools from across the UK, said a potential levy of 75p per child, per night, could make trips unaffordable for some.The Welsh government said it had taken a "fair, straightforward approach to application of the levy".