A Cornwall Council project looking at the potential of seagrass in helping to tackle climate change has revealed one of the biggest seagrass meadows ever found in UK waters.

The council commissioned the University of Exeter and environmental researchers Ecospan to carry out surveys off the coast near Penzance and Falmouth to assess how effective seagrass is at growing and storing ‘blue carbon’.

Using cutting-edge surveying techniques scientists from Ecospan discovered a new seagrass bed in Mounts Bay covering the equivalent of nearly 300 rugby pitches and spanning 5km, all hidden beneath the water.

The bed is larger than all known seagrass beds in Cornwall combined and equates to 3.4 per cent of known seagrass areas nationally, representing one of the largest beds ever found in the country.

In the Fal and Helford Estuaries University of Exeter researchers were able to measure the full scale of the 172-hectare seagrass beds for the first time, enhancing their knowledge of these biodiverse and productive beds.

The findings have reignited interest across Cornwall for the potential discovery of new seagrass beds using echo-sound technology and how they can contribute to work to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.

It comes as the council was awarded nearly £100,000 from the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) announced by Defra and the Environment Agency to set up a Blue Natural Capital project.

The programme will look at how different marine habitats in Mount’s Bay and the Fal and Helford Bay and Estuaries help to provide a range of nature-based solutions such as coastal protection and absorbing carbon.

The full story from Cornwall Council can be read here.