Seagrass recovery and restoration is increasingly in the news. We reported previously on the progress being made by the ReMEDIES project and now a new milestone has been met by England’s largest seagrass planting.

The £2.5 million LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project, led by Natural England, has now planted seagrass across a total of 3.5 hectares of seabed. England’s largest ever seagrass restoration project has reached a new milestone by planting around 70,000 seed bags, which will provide vital habitat for marine life.

The LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES partnership to ‘Save Our Seabed’ is led by Natural England and was launched in July 2019, seeking to protect and restore sensitive seabed habitats which are at risk.

Habitats such as seagrass meadows, mangroves and tidal marshes, are increasingly being recognised for their essential carbon capture abilities – seagrass can be as effective at absorbing and storing carbon as our woodlands. It also provides habitat for sea life including juvenile fish, seahorses and jellyfish, cleans surrounding seawater and helps to stabilise the seabed which can help to reduce coastal erosion. However, research shows the UK has lost at least 44% of its seagrass since 1936.

The full story can be read here.

In a tribute to the work being done, here is a piece by Ellie Harrison, Countryfile presenter, championing the conservationists protecting precious marine habitats and saving seagrass meadows.