One million seeds to be collected off north Wales coast as part of seagrass restoration project

Emily Price

One million seagrass seeds will be collected off the north Wales coast as part of a pioneering project to improve marine life and tackle the global climate and nature crisis.

The scheme supported by experts and volunteers forms part of Wales’ biggest seagrass restoration project.

Launched in 2022, the Seagrass Ocean Rescue aims to plant five million seeds across ten hectares by the end of 2026, with the support of communities in Pen Llŷn and Ynys Môn.

Seagrass can store huge amounts of carbon making them a key natural solution to the climate crisis.

The grass-like leaves can form huge undersea meadows in shallow coastal areas where there is enough sunlight for them to grow and thrive.

The lush beds become biodiversity hotspots for a wide range of marine wildlife such as anemones, hydroids, sea-squirts, seahorses and crabs.

Healthy meadows can also provide nursery grounds for commercially important fish such as cod.

Carbon

As the seagrass plants die and are replaced by fresh shoots, the decaying material collects on the sea bed along with carbon from other dead organisms.

The material builds up unique layers of seagrass sediment which if left undisturbed can store carbon in the seafloor for thousands of years.

Healthy seagrass meadows can also help protect communities from the impacts of coastal erosion and improve water quality.

The UK has lost around 92% of its seagrass meadows in the past century.

In 2019, Swansea University, the charity Project Seagrass and WWF-UK formed a collaboration to begin to restore some of what has been lost.

Over the last six years Swansea University has been leading trials across Wales to develop appropriate methods for seagrass restoration.

The project has now started work in north Wales, working with partner organisations and the local community to return seagrass to Welsh seas.

Habitats

The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project in north Wales is being managed by WWF in partnership with Project Seagrass, Swansea University, North Wales Wildlife Trust, and Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau SAC.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies visited the seed gathering site last week to see the process in action.

He said: “Restoring seagrass habitats in Wales is crucial for tackling the climate and nature emergencies so I was delighted to participate in this critically important work.

“Welsh Government funding is supporting collaborative efforts to restore 266 hectares of seagrass habitat, contributing towards our 30×30 conservation targets.

“I want to thank Seagrass Ocean Rescue partners and all volunteers for their hard work and dedication.”

Collection

Alison Palmer Hargrave, SAC Officer at Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau, said: “We’ve really enjoyed welcoming the Deputy First Minister to our seagrass seed collection week.

“His visit is a great opportunity to shine a light on the importance of seagrass restoration in supporting biodiversity, tackling climate change, and improving water quality.

“It’s also a chance to highlight the strength of collaboration behind this work.

“Local communities and volunteers are at the heart of this project. Their time, energy and local knowledge are invaluable, not only to the success of the seed collection itself, but in building long-term support for seagrass recovery in Wales.

“We’re incredibly grateful for their continued commitment and proud to be working alongside them to help protect and restore our marine environment.”

Planting 

The one million seeds collected this week will be planted at sites on Anglesey and Pen Llŷn with Stena Line supporting and enabling planting in Holyhead.

Dr Richard Unsworth, Chief Scientific Officer at Project Seagrass, Assistant Professor Swansea University and Project Lead said: “The work in north Wales is a critical part of a bigger vision for recovery of seagrass habitats across Wales.

“Wales has the expertise and opportunity to lead the way here.

“This project is supporting knowledge advancement for how we restore seagrass at scale.

“Restoration is hard, with continued effort required beyond specific project timeframes, but we know from the UK’s first successful meadow-scale project in southwest Wales, that it is possible.

“Collaborations like this, which significantly fed into the development of a Welsh Government endorsed National Seagrass Action Plan, are key to achieving ocean recovery.”

Penny Nelson, Ocean Restoration Advocacy and Policy Manager at WWF Cymru, said: “Sadly, we have lost up to 92% of our seagrass in the UK.

“Whilst the north Wales project makes an important contribution to restoration efforts, seagrass meadows must be restored at scale so they can bring many benefits from tackling climate change and providing a home for marine wildlife to protecting our coasts and helping coastal communities thrive.”

The project has been funded via a £1 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales said: “Conserving Wales’ seagrass is crucial for current and future generations; from protecting our coastline to removing harmful carbon from our atmosphere, and as a home to numerous species of marine wildlife.

“This exciting programme is an example of hands-on action involving communities to fight the visible impacts of the climate emergency, as part of an ambitious and long term plan.

“We need to maximise projects like this and save our precious seagrass meadows or risk losing some of Wales’ most iconic beaches.”