BMC’s first seagrass-planting volunteer day in North Wales a success

This April saw the BMC’s first volunteer day in Pwllheli, North Wales, partnering with the Seagrass Ocean Rescue project and the North Wales Wildlife Trust as part of the BMC’s The Climate Project. Two more dates are planned for May and August, read on for dates and how to get involved.

Seagrass planting took place on 10 April 2024 in Pwllheli and saw volunteers planting of seagrass using trowels to dig into the sand at low tide, wearing waders and wellies.

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.

This project is the second in The Climate Project portfolio, 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. Both projects are funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust charity, donate below to help support them.

Tom Carrick, Access & Conservation Officer (Wales) says, “An incredible group of volunteers endured the weather to participate in Project Seagrass just outside Pwllheli on the South Coast of the Llŷn peninsula. Students, instructors and future conservationists all enjoyed a day of learning about the importance of seagrass in the wider ecosystem and its huge capacity for carbon storage. Some were surprised to find out that other species such as sharks (yes sharks in North Wales, don’t worry they’re friendly), thrive in the environment that the seagrass produces.

“The day finished with seagrass planting in the intertidal zones at very low tide. Some of you may have noticed the number of storms that have hit the coastlines of the UK in recent months and many of these have caused damage to some of the seagrass meadows. Some of the plants were ripped out and our volunteer group helped re-plant these fragments in the hope that they will re-establish.

“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.”

Read on for more volunteer dates this May and August 2024.

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.

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:

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.