Coastal vegetated habitats, such as seagrasses, saltmarshes and macroalgal beds, are multifunctional, supporting biodiversity, carbon- and nutrient retention and coastal protection. But they have experienced major habitat loss at local and global scales due to multiple stressors, including eutrophication, physical damage and overfishing, with climate change as an increasingly important additional driver of change. Sustainable management to protect and restore the habitats requires addressing the range of stressors and may, where successful, serve as nature-based contributions to mitigate the combined biodiversity, climate, and pollution crisis. The presentation gives examples of drivers of habitat distribution and change, ecosystem functions and management potentials with a focus on Nordic ecosystems and blue carbon and highlights the need for a holistic management perspective.