Together with Sky Ocean Rescue, WWF, Cardiff University, Swansea University and Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum we are launching ‘Seagrass Ocean Rescue’.
Seagrasses are the unsung heros of our coastal seas. As much as 92% of the UK’s seagrass has been lost, restoring it is vital for ocean health. Seagrass has huge benefits. It can protect coasts, improve water filtration and plays the following important roles:
20%
Fisheries Support
20% of the world’s biggest fisheries are supported by seagrass meadows as fish nurseries.
30x
Biodiversity Support
50 species of fish live in or visit UK seagrass, supporting 30 times more animals than nearby habitat.
400kg
Fight Climate Change
50 species of fish live in or visit UK seagrass, supporting 30 times more animals than nearby habitat.
Conserving seagrass demands working together. That’s why we believe strongly in
Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
We aim to create the first ever full scale seagrass restoration project in the UK, doing our best for
Goal 14: Life Below Water
Seagrass Ocean Rescue plans to restore seagrass in a small experimental two hectare area (approximately two rugby pitches) in collaboration with local people in Dale in West Wales. Over the coming years we also aim to inspire future major projects in other areas to restore the UK’s seagrass meadows to help support our climate, our fisheries and our coastal livelihoods.
This project builds on research led by Swansea University in Wales that has been inspired by the achievements of successful restoration globally.
Our approach is simple, its all about underwater gardening to collect, separate and plant seeds.