Blue Meadows, an initiative run by the Ocean Conservation Trust, is a holistic approach to seagrass conservation, working across the Southwest coast of England to protect and restore common eelgrass (Zostera marina) whilst empowering communities to respect their local seagrass meadows.
Context.
Blue Meadows works with subtidal Zostera marina across the Southwest of the UK. It has been confirmed in the UK that 44% of seagrass has been lost since the 1930’s. Therefore, the protection of this incredible habitat has been prioritised, with seagrass often being a designated feature of Marine Protected Areas. We are working to support the UK government’s target of bringing UK seagrass meadows to favourable condition.
Vision.
Blue Meadows is working to protect the seagrass that we have left and restore what has been lost. Over the course of 10 years, we aim to protect 10% of the UK’s seagrass meadows and restore 50 hectares per year. Alongside these targets, we are also working to connect communities with their local seagrass meadows and empower them to take action for its protection.
The Ocean Conservation Trust has been working on subtidal Zostera marina restoration since 2019. Over this period, we have successfully restored around 13 hectares of seagrass through a variety of methods. This includes development of Seed Mat Technology, allowing us to transplant plants grown from seed in our National Seagrass Nursery back into the Ocean, alongside a state-of-the art hydro-marine seeder, HMS OCToPUS.
Alongside restoration efforts, Stirling Advanced Mooring Systems have been developed to negate the damage created by traditional swing moorings. These are used in combination with Sensitive Habitat Marker Buoys, placed on the outskirts of seagrass meadows to raise awareness of their locations. To supplement this, we are working with navigational apps to alert boat users to the location of the seagrass meadows and Blue Meadows protection measures.
Contact
Location
Ocean Conservation Trust
Rope Walk, Coxside
Plymouth, PL4 0LF
United Kingdom