New Seagrass Meadow in Plymouth Sound
In April 2021 work started on planting England’s largest seagrass meadow in Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. A total of 8 hectares was being planted: 4 hectares in Plymouth Sound and 4 in the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation. Led by Natural England as part of the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project to help support and improve the resilience of our marine environment, the Ocean Conservation Trust planted 16,000 seagrass seed bags and 2,200 seedling bags.
The project hopes to create more seagrass meadows which provide homes for juvenile fish and protected creatures like seahorses and stalked jellyfish. Seagrass also has an integral role in stabilising the seabed, cleaning the surrounding seawater and capturing and storing significant amounts of carbon. Globally, seagrass meadows are home to between 12-20% of oceanic carbon stores, making them an important habitat in the transition to a net-zero Devon.
The Ocean Conservation Trust are working in partnership with a number of organisations on this project, include DCE partner Plymouth City Council. Read more about their project.
How is this helping Devon reach net-zero?
Goal 11.5: Restore and enhance habitats and soils so that they fulfil their natural potential for carbon sequestration and storage.
Goal 11.10: Devon’s coastal ecosystems and their significant carbon stores are protected, restored and enhancedÂ
This project is achieving this goal of the Devon Carbon Plan, alongside bringing the benefits of increased biodiversity from these newly created habitats.
