SOS sent out to help Save Our Seagrass
The public is being asked to support a project to protect a precious Westcountry coastal habitat, reports
VAST meadows of seagrass were once widespread in shallow waters around our coast, providing a sanctuary for marine life.
However, much of this fragile habitat – home to seahorses, nurseries for fish such as cod and plaice and breeding grounds for cuttlefish and sharks – has been lost over the last century.
Now, as part of the Marine Conservation Society’s mission to ‘Save Our Seagrass’, a project has been launched to protect remaining seagrass areas in the Westcountry and at other UK sites from damage.
The initiative, LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES, will focus on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Isles of Scilly, Fal & Helford, Plymouth Sound & Estuaries, Solent and Essex Estuaries Special Areas of Conservation to replace traditional anchoring and mooring systems with new systems which limit their impact on the seabed and seagrass.
Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, principal specialist Marine Protected Areas at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Seagrass beds are massive carbon sinks but have been severely reduced in English waters since the industrial revolution. If, through this project, we can create new beds, and enhance existing ones, it will be of a huge benefit to fish and invertebrates. It will help secure and grow a habitat that is proven to absorb massive amounts of CO2.”
It has been estimated that seagrass can absorb and store at least as much carbon per hectare as trees in UK woodlands. In addition it provides for biodiversity, with the dense growth in shallow sunlit seawater providing a home to the two species of seahorse which live off the UK coast, the spiny seahorse and the short snouted seahorse.
In order to ‘Save Our Seagrass’ and replenish some of the 35% of seagrass which has been lost or degraded globally, MCS is working with conservation partners along the south coast of England to tackle recreational pressures which are damaging seagrass beds to ensure they can thrive once again.
The project LIFE Recreation Re-MEDIES, which stands for Reducing and Mitigating Erosion and Disturbance Impacts Effecting the Seabed, will not only replace anchoring and mooring systems but raise awareness of the environmental damage these older systems can cause and educate the public in how to better safeguard seagrass meadows.
The Marine Conservation Society’s ‘Save Our Seagrass’ appeal is seeking the public’s support to reach a target of £105,000. Funds will help support partners to install over 75 advanced moorings, monitor the effect of the replacements, and raise awareness of the project.
Partners on the project are Natural England, the Marine Conservation Society, Ocean Conservation Trust, Royal Yachting Association, Plymouth City Council and Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum.
The project seeks to find remedies to damaged Marine Protected Areas in southern England including rich sandbank and mudflat habitats. This includes providing the best conditions and regeneration of seagrass beds. Maerl beds will also be protected in Falmouth, whilst the Royal Yachting Association will seek to promote new Advanced Moorings Systems (AMS) to its members. MCS will have a strong role in monitoring and education while Natural England will lead on discussions with Harbour Masters on replacing more damaging traditional moorings with the AMS.
The seagrass project is led by Natural England, and has been awarded 60% of the total project costs from the EU’s LIFE fund. Funds from the
MCS appeal will be used towards the remaining 40% of the Marine Conservation Society’s work on the project, and anything raised over this amount will support further ocean recovery work.
The objectives and scope of the project include to protect and reduce recreational pressures on intertidal/ subtidal seagrass/maerl beds, demonstrate large scale successful restoration and management techniques, promote awareness and inspire better care by recreational users.
To find out more and donate visit www.mcsuk.org/donate/marinemeadows.
‘This project will help secure and grow a habitat that is proven to absorb massive amounts of CO2’