Following five years of effort, the UK’s largest seagrass restoration project is now complete, with some sections exhibiting “recovery” as a result.
The EU-funded £2.5 million initiative, which was managed by the charity Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) in Plymouth, sought to undo decades of loss in seagrass that had been disrupted and destroyed by human activity and coastal pollution.
Seagrass is a vital component of the marine ecology and a natural defense against climate change since it can absorb carbon dioxide more quickly than trees.
The initiative regenerated eight hectares (20 acres) of seagrass in Plymouth Sound and the Solent Maritime protected areas over five locations on the south coast.
