Keeping you up to date with Project Seagrass news and views with a mixture of field notes and commentary on seagrass and marine conservation topics.
The wellbeing benefits of nature are often linked to forests or habitats that support diverse pollinators. Spending time in green spaces reduces stress and anxiety, for example. By contrast, the benefits of the ocean are more commonly associated with fishing, exciting creatures such as whales and dolphins, or adventure watersports, rather than
Extreme heat can have a devastating effect on seagrass, but new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) could shape how these vitally important marine ecosystems are managed and restored. In separate studies carried out on both the west and east coasts of Australia, researchers have investigated how seagrasses stand up
Accelerate Seagrass is a collaborative program being delivered by Climate Impact Partners, Deloitte, Project Seagrass, and the National Oceanography Centre which aims to support groundbreaking research into seagrass carbon sequestration and unlock long-term finance to save and reinstate vital seagrass meadows. Part of this programme of work involves collaborating with community groups across Scotland to develop knowledge
The Scottish Seagrass Collaborative, responds to Crown Estate Scotland’s Approach to Marine Enhancement Proposals: We write as marine scientists, restoration practitioners, and organisations working across Scotland’s coasts and seas, in response to Crown Estate Scotland’s Approach to Marine Enhancement Proposals. We welcome Crown Estate Scotland’s commitment to responsible stewardship of
Two weeks ago, I joined colleagues and collaborators at the Coastal Futures Conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The theme this year was ‘From Ambition to Action’, a sentiment that seems to be playing on repeat across the conferencing world with, with yet and seemingly as always, not
In this blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The shore crab, also known as the green crab, are contentious within the seagrass world. They have important ecological roles within their habitats, but their tendency towards destruction and
In Dale Bay, Pembrokeshire, a collaboration between local fishers and marine conservation charity Project Seagrass is showing positive results for both sustainable fishing and seagrass restoration. Dale Bay is the location of an ongoing seagrass restoration project, delivered by South Wales based charity Project Seagrass and overseen by the Dale
Grammy-nominated singer and Solent Seascape Project collaborate with Jeremy Irons and Angela Harding to celebrate and protect the region’s coastal habitats. The Solent Seascape Project, of which Project Seagrass is a partner, has launched Songs from the Solent, a new EP by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Richard Walters that uses music to spotlight the Solent’s threatened coastal habitats
Grace Cutler, one of our 2025-26 Project Seagrass interns, reflects on Rebekah Bajkó’s research, Coastal Roots: The History of Seagrass in Northern Ireland. Northern Irish Seagrass In November 2025, I attended the UK Seagrass Symposium, an exciting conference hosted every two years to highlight the current state of seagrass research
Current estimates of the global extent of seagrass range from between 160,000-266,000km. Such a high degree of uncertainty presents challenges for researchers and managers and their ability to make informed decisions which account for the changing status of seagrass ecosystems. Key to improving our understanding of seagrass presence and absence,
In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The Brent Goose Branta bernicla is of a similar size to a Mallard duck, making it one of the smallest goose species in the world. They are a
Our oceans and coasts are home to ecosystems that provide immense benefits to people, from food and livelihoods to carbon storage and coastal protection. In particular, seagrass meadows are archetypal social-ecological systems (SES), linking human well-being to ecosystem health. But to manage these systems effectively, we need access to both ecological
Beneath the surface of the Chesapeake Bay, a subtle but dramatic shift is taking place as eelgrass gives way to its warmer-water relative, widgeon grass. A new study from researchers at William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS shows that this seagrass swap could have ecological impacts across the Bay’s
Seagrasses, foundational species in coastal ecosystems worldwide, are surprisingly few in documented diversity—with only about 70 species identified globally, despite their widespread distribution and ecological importance. Complicating matters, their high phenotypic plasticity within species makes precise classification challenging. Against this backdrop, a research team led by Prof. Zhou Yi from
The Project Seagrass team have had another busy summer of seagrass seed collections! This year collections took place in Yarmouth, Ryde, and Bembridge on the Isle of Wight in the Solent, and in Porthdinllaen in North Wales. Find out more about how this summer’s collections went: Solent Seed Collection |
Dr Richard Unsworth, Chief Scientific Officer at Project Seagrass, along with 35 other leading scientists from across the UK, responds to proposals from the UK government to make licensing for marine restoration more complex and costly. Dear Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP and team, This letter sets out our
