At Project Seagrass, we rely on the enthusiasm and commitment of our volunteers who support our work to save the world’s seagrass. We couldn’t do it without you! We spoke to Lindsey, one of our regular volunteers in the Solent about her experiences of volunteering with Project Seagrass: 1. Tell
In 2024, Project Seagrass launched a new Fragment Walk initiative on the Isle of Wight to support community-based seagrass restoration as part of our work in the Solent. Seagrass Fragments Seagrass meadows are sensitive habitats which can be easily uprooted. As a result of storms or other disturbances, fragments of
The Seagrass Ocean Rescue North Wales programme relies on the commitment and enthusiasm of local volunteers. We spoke to regular volunteer Neil about his experiences of volunteering as part of the programme. Volunteer Interview Tell us a little bit about yourself: I grew up in North Wales, then moved around
As our 2024 seagrass seed collection in North Wales draws to a close we spoke to Seagrass Ocean Rescue volunteer Bob Pethers about his experience of volunteering as part of the project. Tell us a little bit about yourself: I’m Bob Pethers, originally from London but have lived and worked
At Project Seagrass, we rely on the enthusiasm and commitment of our volunteers who support our work to save the world’s seagrass. We couldn’t do it without you! We spoke to Lindsey, one of our regular volunteers in the Solent about her experiences of volunteering with Project Seagrass: 1. Tell us a little about yourself. Hi my name is Lindsey. I was born in the East End of London which was pretty nature depleted but every year we went to the North Coast of Cornwall on holiday. This was a wild landscape and I fell in love with the natural world here. Twenty years ago, my family and I decided to move to the Isle of Wight to be closer to the sea and the natural world. For most of my working life, I have been a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist working for the NHS; I retired four years ago and since then have been involved in a variety of volunteering roles around protecting and restoring nature, particularly our sea and the life within it. This has been an amazing time, allowing me to become more deeply involved with the natural world. Volunteer, Lindsey Fragment Walk at Priory Bay, Isle of Wight. Photo by Francesca Page @francescapagephoto 2. How did you first hear about Project Seagrass and what inspired you to get involved? I had started volunteering with The Solent Seascape Project whose aim is to restore four important habitats including seagrass across the Solent area and Project Seagrass has a large role in this restoration work. I heard of Project Seagrass’s work restoring seagrass on beaches near to me and was keen to become involved. Project Seagrass have been carrying out some really innovative work trialling different methods of re-growing seagrass locally. Also, they were keen to involve local volunteers which was great for me. 3. What have you enjoyed most about volunteering? The most important part of volunteering is feeling that I am part of work that is making a really positive difference to our sea, the life in it, and the wider natural environment. Through Project Seagrass, I have learnt a lot about seagrass, its role in the ecosystem, its history and what it needs to thrive. I have loved doing the practical work: finding the seagrass seeds and the plants that have washed ashore and preparing them for replanting. I really enjoy passing on what I have learnt to family, friends and the wider community so people understand more about seagrass and its importance. It feels great to be part of a project and a team that is working hard to restore our amazing seagrass meadows. 4. Why is seagrass important to you? The sea is incredibly important to me and should be to us all. Without a thriving sea, we do not thrive or even possibly survive. Seagrass is a very important marine habitat. It provides a home, locally for Seahorses and Cuttlefish; it is a nursery for species such a skates; it provides protection for our local coast and can sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide. What is there not to love about seagrass. We have started snorkelling in our local sea and coming across seagrass meadows is mesmerising and so beautiful. However, most seagrass in our seas has been lost over the last hundred years and it needs our help to survive and flourish. 5. What would you say to someone who is thinking of volunteering? I would definitely recommend volunteering for Project Seagrass. The work is fun and fulfilling. The staff are very keen to involve volunteers and to pass on their knowledge and experience which is great. It has been lovely to be part of a friendly team of staff and volunteers and there has always been a very positive atmosphere and a feeling of a job well done at the end of the day. You can be part of making a really positive difference to our seas-why not give it a try! Join us Find out more about volunteering with Project Seagrass and sign up today! If you have any questions about volunteering with Project Seagrass, get in touch with us at volunteers@projectseagrass.org.
In 2024, Project Seagrass launched a new Fragment Walk initiative on the Isle of Wight to support community-based seagrass restoration as part of our work in the Solent. Seagrass Fragments Seagrass meadows are sensitive habitats which can be easily uprooted. As a result of storms or other disturbances, fragments of seagrass (individual seagrass plants with the rhizome or reproductive root and node system still intact) can become dislodged, uprooted, and washed up onto beaches. However, there is still an opportunity, for these plants to thrive by replanting the dislodged fragments. This presents a unique opportunity to involve the local community in seagrass planting at our Isle of Wight restoration sites. Seagrass meadows are critical and beautiful marine habitats that are essential for people and our planet. By undertaking active seagrass restoration on the Isle of Wight we can ensure that threatened and diminishing seagrass species can thrive, and additional fragment planting alongside our restoration efforts through advocacy and local community involvement presents an additional opportunity and involvement for all and reconnection to the seascape. Anouska Mendzil Project Seagrass Fragment Walks In spring 2024, we delivered a Fragment Walk pilot project where members of the public joined us to collect seagrass fragments at Priory Bay. This enabled us to gauge the level of interest for volunteer opportunities of this nature amongst the local Isle of Wight community. We were pleased to see positive uptake and interest in the initiative and went on to expand the project to include the following: A fragment collection point at St Helens A fragment walk to collect seagrass fragments A fragment preparation workshop Fragment planting at our restoration sites Monitoring our planted seagrass During the fragment preparation workshop, volunteers attach fragments to a pin using natural twine. This provides an anchor point for when the fragments are replanted, increasing the chances of re-establishment. During 2024 we have undertaken a total of 6 fragment walks, with 214 volunteers attending. We have also started to plant fragments in our restoration area at Priory Bay, Isle of Wight, with a total number of 329 fragments planted. Our fragment collection point is located at St Helens Duver (What3Words: invest.cropping.scatter). Fragment Collection Points In addition to our direct engagement through the Fragment Walks we have additionally installed two Fragment Collection Points in Sandown and St Helen’s. These collection points enable members of the public to collect and place seagrass fragments found on the beach into the fragment collection points, which can then be retrieved and replanted in local seagrass meadows and restoration sites. Project Seagrass in the Solent Project Seagrass is working to restore 3 hectares of seagrass on the Isle of Wight as part of the Solent Seascape Project alongside undertaking planting trials as part of the Seagrass Ocean Rescue: Solent programme. Fragment Walks enable us to engage with members of the local community and trial another approach to seagrass restoration on the Island. If you would like to set up and run your own fragment walks around the Solent or further afield we will be releasing this as a marine practitioner protocol in 2025. Keep an eye on our social media for the dates of future Fragment Walks or contact volunteers@projectseagrass.org to be kept informed about future opportunities.
The Seagrass Ocean Rescue North Wales programme relies on the commitment and enthusiasm of local volunteers. We spoke to regular volunteer Neil about his experiences of volunteering as part of the programme. Volunteer Interview Tell us a little bit about yourself: I grew up in North Wales, then moved around a lot during a career in the automotive industry. After Covid, there was an opportunity to step out and do something different, so it was time to do things I wanted to do rather than had to do. How did you first get involved with the seagrass restoration community project? I’d seen the team operating in Porthdinllaen , read about it, and started to preach about it to anyone that was unfortunate to be in hearing range! Then there was a stroke of luck and I managed to inflict myself upon the boat crew for a few days. What are your hopes for this restoration work? That the word spreads, that more people who don’t mean to negatively affect the environment can learn not to, and that I can keep visiting the areas that we are developing and planting to see them flourish and provide a starting base for more wildlife to move in. It’s great to see how quickly nature can respond, given a chance. I’ve learnt that it’s very subtle changes we make that can help or hinder the natural environment. What inspired you to get involved, what drives your commitment to this cause? I’d just semi-retired, had wandered past the boat team working in Porthdinllaen, did some reading, started to tell others about it, then it was a lucky break to be involved in one of the boat teams. Then it just got out of control from there really! I go snorkelling, boating, and diving and I get frustrated when I see the natural environment being needlessly abused, so this is just one way to try and stop that. The amazing areas of the world provide lots of fun, inspiration and happiness for so many people, sometimes the consequence is pressure on the very thing we go to see, by providing more of those areas then it’s good for everyone. What does it mean to you to spend time in nature, what do you feel nature provides you with? It’s great to see how quickly nature can respond, given a chance. I’ve learnt that it’s very subtle changes we make that can help or hinder the natural environment. What seagrass restoration activities have you taken part in? So far, planting both seeds and shoots, harvesting new seeds and monitoring. Learning from the different team members, chatting with ambassadors and meeting other people that are getting involved. What part of this restoration work are you most proud of? I think it’s the planting, because when we go back to monitor progress and after only a few months we see that nature has already started to move in, then that’s a good thing. The Seagrass Ocean Rescue Project is managed by WWF, in partnership with Project Seagrass, the North Wales Wildlife Trust, Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Swansea University. The project is made possible with support from funders that include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Moondance Foundation. If you would like to volunteer as part of the project contact volunteers@projectseagrass.org Principal Funders Partners
As our 2024 seagrass seed collection in North Wales draws to a close we spoke to Seagrass Ocean Rescue volunteer Bob Pethers about his experience of volunteering as part of the project. Tell us a little bit about yourself: I’m Bob Pethers, originally from London but have lived and worked in North Wales for 40 years. I have taken early retirement from the NHS and currently volunteer with North Wales Wildlife Trust and Project Seagrass. How did you first get involved with the seagrass restoration community project? At the end of a Shoresearch rocky shore survey for the North Wales Wildlife Trust we were given a short presentation on seagrass restoration and I realised immediately that this combined my concern for the health of our seas with my enthusiasm for gardening! I ended up on a seagrass monitoring course run by Project Seagrass, and the rest is history. What are your hopes for this restoration work? That it makes a difference to the health of our seas, and it will! What inspired you to get involved, what drives your commitment to this cause? I jokingly say that I’m involved in seagrass restoration purely out of self interest as one of my hobbies is sea fishing, and healthy seagrass meadows lead to healthy fish populations! In reality I’ve always been concerned about the environment and nature and considered myself an environmentalist from when it really wasn’t fashionable. Looking back I realise we could have done more (hindsight is a wonderful thing), but still proud of our efforts to find peat free compost 30 years ago! Now I have the opportunity to make a difference around my local shores, and the thought of thriving seagrass meadows in the future drives me forward on those cold and rainy spring tides. What does it mean to you to spend time in nature, what do you feel nature provides you with? Being in nature enhances my physical and mental health, nothing can beat being in the moment. What seagrass restoration activities have you taken part in? After agreeing a planting area with Project Seagrass, I started off collecting fragments at Porthdinllaen and planting these (after cleaning off other lifeforms and soaking in fresh water for 24 hours) at Traeth Crugan. This has continued with various tweaks to the methodology through research and discussion and evaluating the success rates. Now I concentrate on the big spring tides and planting on mass to maximise success, and on the last survey this year’s plantings had an encouraging 56% success rate. Inevitably I was talking to the Project Seagrass team a lot, and ended up helping with the seed planting (sacks, seed balls and injection), monitoring, and have just completed the circle by snorkelling at Porthdinllaen for seagrass seeds! What part of this restoration work are you most proud of? I’m most proud of all the other volunteers I meet over the course of the year. Their enthusiasm is both inspiring and heartwarming. The Seagrass Ocean Rescue Project is managed by WWF, in partnership with Project Seagrass, the North Wales Wildlife Trust, Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Swansea University. The project is made possible with support from funders that include the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, and the Moondance Foundation. Principal Funders Partners
