UK’s biggest seagrass restoration project

Main image: Diver with seagrass in Falmouth (OCT)

The largest seagrass restoration project ever undertaken in the UK has been launched in an ambitious £1.8 million marine recovery programme in Cornwall.

In addition to plans to restore 10 hectares of seagrass meadow in Falmouth Bay, the project includes the restoration of native oyster populations across the Fal and Helford Special Areas of Conservation through a combination of active habitat restoration, monitoring and community stewardship.

15% boost to seagrass

Delivered through a new partnership between the Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) and Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT), Mor Nature, Cornwall’s first seascape-scale marine restoration initiative, will combine OCT’s expertise in large-scale seagrass restoration with CWT’s leadership in native oyster recovery.
 
Mor is the Cornish word for sea, and Mor Nature will contribute towards 2043 government targets to increase seagrass by 15% compared with 2024 levels.  
 
Backed by £1.4 million from Defra’s Species Recovery Programme alongside additional funding partners, the project supports the government’s Wild Again: Restoring England’s Wildlife campaign.

Led by the OCT and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the three-year programme will bring together multiple partners, including Falmouth Harbour, Cornwall Council, the Zoological Society of London, the University of Exeter, the Duchy of Cornwall, Falmouth Marine Conservation Group and other local organisations, to help rebuild some of the UK’s most important marine ecosystems.

Why seagrass matters

Increasingly recognised as ‘nature as infrastructure’, healthy seagrass habitats are needed to provide an essential ecosystem that underpins the resilience of coastal communities and economies.

Seagrass meadows are among the most important habitats in the ocean, supporting biodiversity, improving water quality, storing carbon and protecting coastlines from erosion, while delivering significant cultural and wellbeing benefits for local communities.

A single hectare can support 80,000 fish and 100 million small invertebrates. The underwater meadows are also a home for rare and endangered species, like seahorses and stalked jellyfish.

Seagrass is one of the world’s most effective natural carbon sinks. It captures carbon from the atmosphere and locks it away in seabed sediments for decades or even centuries, helping tackle climate change. Seagrass meadows absorb carbon up to 35 times more efficiently than tropical rainforests, and despite only covering 0.2% of the seabed, they store 10% of the ocean’s carbon.
 
Seagrasses have been shown to filter excess nutrients, improve clarity and reduce the presence of harmful bacteria from the surrounding waters by up to 50%. Their root system helps to anchor sediments, reducing turbidity, while trapping nutrients, nitrogen and pollutants via their leaves.

Seagrass roots help stabilise the seabed, while the plants reduce wave energy. This helps reduce coastal erosion, protect shorelines and improve resilience against storms and flooding.
 
The benefits extend far beyond the ocean itself. Healthy seagrass meadows contribute to cleaner bathing waters, better recreational experiences, stronger local economies and more resilient coastal environments.

Collaboration is key

The restoration site stretches between Swanpool and Pendennis Castle in Falmouth Bay, where OCT first established protective measures in 2022 through the installation of Sensitive Habitat Marker Buoys and voluntary no-anchor zones.

The project also builds on CWT’s extensive work in the area to map and monitor the existing seagrass meadows and will expand its network of intertidal seagrass restoration sites. CWT will also work with fishers and community groups to establish new oyster nurseries in the Helford.