England’s largest seagrass planting programme is underway

England’s largest seagrass planting effort is taking place in Plymouth Sound National Marine Park.

It is estimated that the UK may have lost up to 92% of its seagrass. Wasting disease, pollution and physical disturbance like anchoring and mooring have been identified as contributing causes.

Seagrass meadows provide homes for juvenile fish and protected creatures like seahorses and stalked jellyfish. It also has an integral role in stabilising the seabed, cleaning the surrounding seawater and capturing and storing significant amounts of carbon.

Some 16,000 seagrass seed bags and 2,200 seedling bags are being planted as part of the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project being led by Natural England to help support and improve the resilience of our marine environment. The planting is being carried out by project partner the Ocean Conservation Trust staff and volunteers. The four-year project aims to plant a total of eight hectares of seagrass meadows – four hectares in Plymouth Sound and four hectares in the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation.

■ saveourseabed.co.uk

Seagrass seedlings have been growing in a National Marine Aquarium laboratory since January