The BMC has welcomed another conservation project into The Climate Project portfolio, planting seagrass with Seagrass Ocean Rescue in conjunction with the North Wales Wildlife Trust. This is in addition to the current sphagnum moss planting and peatland restoration with Moors for the Future in the Peak District that you can also get involved with here.
BMC Senior Policy and Campaigns Manager Dr. Cath Flitcroft says, “Both projects are incredibly important in keeping carbon locked up and out of the atmosphere, and there will be numerous opportunities for BMC members to get involved in planting both sphagnum moss and seagrass. You can also donate to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust charity to help even further. Please do keep helping to support these climate projects.”
Why seagrass?
The UK has lost over 90% of its seagrass meadows in the past century, mainly through disease and human-made poor water quality. Globally, it is estimated that the equivalent size of two football pitches of seagrass is lost every hour.
Seagrasses are the unsung heroes of our coastal seas - the world’s only marine flowering plant and one of the most important natural solutions to the climate crisis. They sequester (capture) carbon dissolved in our seas at a greater rate than tropical forests! Carbon is taken from the water and used to build the seagrass’ leaves and roots. Once the plants die, the carbon can then be stored in the seafloor for thousands of years.
Seagrasses are also a vital source of water filtration, sediment stabilisation and coastal erosion reduction. Restoring these habitats and maintaining their health is hugely beneficial in protecting coastlines, improving biodiversity, supporting fisheries and fighting climate change.
Tom Carrick, Access & Conservation Officer (Wales) says, “I’m very excited for us to be part of the seagrass project. It gives us an opportunity to give back to the biodiversity of the area as well as contribute to improving the potential for carbon sequestration. We may be unaware of it, but many of the sea cliff climbing locations in North West Wales overlook these important meadows, and the beautiful Welsh Costal Path also passes nearby.”
Reece Halstead from the North Wales Wildlife Trust says, "The aim of the multi-partnership project is to plant seagrass (Zostera marina) over an area of 10 hectares across North Wales by 2026, whilst working with the community to secure the future of healthy seagrass meadows across North Wales. We identified sites on Pen Llŷn and Ynys Môn (Anglesey) through site assessments and stakeholder engagement, and have to date been planting seagrass seeds at two sites on Pen Llŷn: Penychain and Carreg y Defaid. The aim of the project is to collect and replant 5 million seagrass seeds, sustainably collecting from Porthdinllaen, our ‘donor’ seagrass meadow.
"In 2023, we planted 200,000 seeds spread over c. 3000 m2 using a couple of different methods – using hessian bags and DIS (Direct Injection Seeding) using caulking guns – a.k.a. shooting seagrass seeds into the sea bed! So far this year, 340,000 seeds were planted manually in February and then an additional 700,000 seeds using a seeding machine. Moving forward, we will be continuing to plant and monitor seagrass at Pen Llŷn and collect seeds at Porthdinllaen in August, with the addition of moving onto Ynys Môn this spring and engaging with local communities there."
How can you help?
The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project engages with volunteers, local community groups and stakeholders to get involved with some hands-on seagrass restoration work in North Wales. A total of 10 hectares of seagrass have already been planted this February 2024 at seven sites along the North Wales coastline. The BMC is looking for volunteers and there are three dates that you can be involved with:
10 April, Pwllheli
Planting - this day will involve the planting of seagrass using Direct Injection Seeding, which are like caulking guns. It will take place during low tide and wading equipment will be used to access the site.
8 May, Pen Llŷn
Seagrass monitoring - returning to previously planted areas to analyse the seagrass that has already been planted. Get your geek on, this will have more of a scientific research approach.
5 August, Porthdinllaen.
Seagrass seed collection - one of the biggest events in the seagrass calendar, you’ll be taught how to collect the sea grass seeds, and this can be in waders or using snorkelling equipment.
Click here for more information on volunteering dates with the BMC. Limited kit is available to borrow (please ask prior) but if you have your own it is recommended to bring it.
As well as volunteering on the dates above, you can also get involved by becoming an individual volunteer with Project Seagrass. Join the Project Seagrass Volunteers Facebook group here.
And you can get in touch with Project Seagrass at volunteers@projectseagrass.org
For community groups interested in further involvement, contact Reece Halstead of North Wales Wildlife Trust here. reece.halstead@northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk
The Climate Project is a campaign by the BMC’s Access and Conservation Trust, working alongside Moors For The Future and North Wales Wildlife Trust, supported by Cotswold Outdoor and Snow+Rock.
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