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nutrients Archives - Project Seagrass

Food for thoughtOpinion

It’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest

Nearly 30,000 tonnes of sewage containing human waste is to enter the UK despite potential problems for human health. Yet, what stinks for me is that sewage and livestock waste are driving seagrass loss across the UK – we already have a problem, and we don’t need to exacerbate this. Back in 2018, we released a study documenting this problem and called on the government to make changes - but water companies, some farmers and the Government have not, and it would appear are still not, doing enough to address theses risks. Photo by Stijn te Strake on Unsplash While the…
Benjamin Jones
September 3, 2020
Press ReleaseResearch

Sewage and livestock waste is killing Britain’s seagrass meadows

Britain’s seagrass is a refuge for numerous species of fish, stabilises sandy beaches, and helps to lock away the carbon which humans produce. The meadows that surround the country’s coast have been called the “canaries of the sea”, due to their sensitivity to a changing environment. And like a canary in a coal mine, their health can be used as an indicator of the condition of coastal areas. We know that the seagrass meadows surrounding the UK are in a perilous state of decline, and our recently published research has now uncovered one of the biggest causes. Our study suggests that a major…
Benjamin Jones
February 15, 2018