Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that thrive in shallow waters across the globe, forming dense meadows that provide shelter and habitat to thousands of marine species. They act as nurseries, with the leafy underwater canopy they create providing shelter for small invertebrates (like crabs and shrimp and other types of crustaceans), small fish and juveniles of larger fish species. These vibrant biodiverse meadows also act as feeding grounds for larger predators that utilise the seagrass meadows to hunt for food.  

 The leaves of seagrass can also filter pathogens, bacteria, and pollution out of seawater, making our oceans a cleaner and safer environment to enjoy. 

Furthermore, the roots of seagrass extend through the sediment creating a network which strengthens the coast, helping to reduce coastal erosion. Their leaves also weaken wave energy and storm surges offering protection to coastal communities from storms.

Seagrass meadows have the potential to sequester and store large quantities of the carbon dissolved in our ocean, often known as ‘blue carbon’. Whilst seagrass occupies only 0.1% of the seafloor, they are responsible for up to 18% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean.

The UK’s seagrass habitats play an important role for both biodiversity and carbon storage. However research estimates that up to 92% of the UK’s seagrass has been lost since 1936, and we must act now to restore these important ecosystems.

By supporting this project, your funding will be used to support every key activity that Project Seagrass is undertaking to protect and restore seagrass in the UK and globally. From site assessments to identify suitable restoration sites around the UK, to seagrass seed collection, storage and preparation, planting in restoration sites, research trials, community outreach and monitoring, your funding will make a big difference to these important ecosystems.

The Project Seagrass team is led by Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, who is an interdisciplinary marine scientist with over 20 years of experience working collaboratively with people and communities to help conserve and restore nature. Leanne’s work on seagrass ecosystems has taken her around the globe working on multiple elements of seagrass ecosystem services with a particular focus on fisheries support and food provisioning. She also investigates drivers of seagrass decline internationally.

We are pleased to be working with Project Seagrass to help them scale their work over the coming year, boosting the amount of seagrass they are able to grow and collect seeds from in their nursery in South Wales. They have already had great success with one species that grows in UK waters - Zostera marina - and now they have begun working with the other UK species - Zostera noltii. This important step will unlock significantly more planting opportunities next year, when a project in North Wales will be a focus for Project Seagrass and funding from the Ecologi community. At Ecologi, we listen to the experts to make sure our funding has the biggest possible impact for our climate, nature and biodiversity. Working with Project Seagrass will help your funding for seagrass provide far-reaching benefits for these important ecosystems, both in the UK and globally.