NEWS

NEWS

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.

Seagrass and coral with fish swimming

Seagrass meadows bounce back with new fish communities

Seagrasses are flowering plants that thrive in marine environments and form extensive meadows along the tropical Queensland coast. New James Cook University research shows the seagrass meadows of Trinity Inlet in Cairns Harbor have recovered after severe cyclones and flooding nearly wiped them out—but with a new mix of fish

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Aerial of seagrass meadow in Myeik Archipelago, Myanmar

“Global Seagrass Challenge Fund set to transform seagrass conservation world wide” says world’s leading seagrass conservation organisation Project Seagrass

Momentum builds around the Global Seagrass Challenge Fund as growing public interest and rising urgency position investment in seagrass conservation as one of the decade’s most important solutions for our planet.   Investment will facilitate a step-change in global seagrass conservation via new fund designed to put resources directly into

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Seagrass and mangrove grow next to each other

COP17: Beyond promises, towards a future for seagrass

Our Ocean is changing and conservation efforts need to keep up.  This week, governments, scientists and conservation organisations are gathering in Yerevan, Armenia, for COP17, the United Nations Biodiversity Conference. Four years after the world agreed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, we’re now taking stock on progress. 

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Volunteers in bright flourescent vests gather seeds in the shallow waters at Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.

Careers in Conservation: Digital Content Creator

The Careers in Conservation: Below the Surface series takes a deep dive into the variety of job roles available within the conservation sector. In this article, Project Seagrass Digital Content Creator Tim Horton shares his experiences and the route he took to a career in conservation. Job Description and Skills

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A large patch of seagrass is growing in Dale Bay.

Fishers’ local knowledge can help identify the best locations for seagrass restoration, new research finds

New study shows coastal users can provide valuable insights that strengthen restoration planning and long-term project success Fishers and anglers possess valuable local knowledge that can help identify suitable locations for seagrass restoration, new research published by Project Seagrass shows. The study, conducted along the South Wales coastline, found that

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Seagrass meadow with sunlight shining through the water

Careers in Conservation: Chief Executive Officer

The Careers in Conservation: Below the Surface series takes a deep dive into the variety of job roles available within the conservation sector. In this article, Project Seagrass CEO Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth shares her experiences and the route she took to a career in conservation. What does it take to

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Zostera marina seagrass meadows with a snakelocks anemone
biodiversity

Snakelocks anemone: Creatures that call seagrass home

In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The snakelocks anemone is a funny looking creature commonly found around the UK. They have up to 200 long, wavy tentacles and can grow on average to about

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Members of Project Seagrass staff are planting seagrass seeds using DIS guns. They are planting into quadrats. It is early morning and the sun hasn't yet risen.
marine licensing

Rethinking Marine Restoration: Why Permits Could Be Holding Us Back

The Ocean is in crisis. Coral reefs are bleaching, seagrass meadows are vanishing, mangroves are being cleared, and biodiversity is plummeting. Scientists estimate we’ve already lost up to 50% of global saltmarshes, 35% of mangroves, and 20% of seagrasses. Yet alongside this sobering decline, momentum for marine restoration has never

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Seagrass meadow in Orkney.

Our response to the Scottish Government Blue Carbon Action Plan

Earlier this year, the Scottish Government circulated a draft version of Scotland’s first Blue Carbon Action Plan with key stakeholders to gather comments and feedback. Project Seagrass was one of the organisations contacted as part of this process. The Blue Carbon Action Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s position and

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A seagrass meadow with fish swimming through it
microbiome

The role of the microbiome in the successful transplantation of seagrass meadows

Posidonia seagrass meadows, veritable underwater forests, play a major ecological role. Under constant pressure from human activity, scientists are looking for ways to ensure their survival, in particular by carrying out restoration campaigns. A study conducted by the University of Liège at the marine and oceanographical research station STARESO (Calvi,

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A seagrass meadow in Orkney. A lighter reproductive shoot is present.

Summer surveys in Scotland’s seagrass meadows

This summer, the Sjogras Partnership returned to Orkney to undertake a range of surveys to further develop our understanding of the health and extent of Orkney’s important seagrass meadows.    Between the 19th July and 1st August, Professor Joanne Porter from Heriot Watt University  and Dr Elizabeth Lacey from Project Seagrass

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Laura Suggitt swimming the Channel
Channel Swim

Successful swim to support seagrass

In a guest blog post, Laura Suggitt shares her experiences of swimming the Channel to raise vital funds for environment funds including Project Seagrass: Earlier this month, I swam across the English Channel to France with my team, The Matriarsea. We completed the crossing in 12 hours and 49 minutes;

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