In November, our Ocean Habitat Restoration Team headed to the second UK Seagrass Symposium. After hosting the inaugural UK Seagrass Symposium back in 2023, we were delighted to pass the baton over to Project Seagrass to host this year’s event in Cardiff Bay. It was inspiring to see how the seagrass community has grown and was a great opportunity to reconnect with peers and share progress as we all continue protecting and restoring seagrass across the UK.
From the outset, one message resonated clear: the future of seagrass meadows depends on people. The symposium opened with a powerful keynote from J.Brooke Landry, sharing lessons from Chesapeake Bay that emphasised the importance of working with communities to protect areas before restoration begins. Throughout the sessions, conversations returned to the central role of people in long term seagrass protection and recovery, a message at the heart of our Blue Meadows approach.
Across the two days, a diverse and inspiring array of talks and posters were presented, spanning blue finance, restoration, mapping and modelling, blue carbon and ecosystem services, socio-ecological systems and biodiversity and functional ecology. Collectively, the sessions showed the latest developments in seagrass conservation and the increasingly sophisticated tools, approaches and thinking being applied across the UK, with our team sharing updates from our own Blue Meadows work. Importantly, there was a strong emphasis on sharing failures as well as successes, fostering a culture of learning to strengthen the future of restoration and avoid repeated mistakes.
Working in partnership with Sonardyne, MarineSee, Voyis and Blue Robotics, we have been developing a specialised Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV); an exciting tool that will enable us to map seagrass in unprecedented detail. In the session dedicated to mapping and monitoring seagrass, our Habitat Monitoring Officer, Miriam, showcased how the ROV can support large scale restoration planning across the UK, by delivering high-resolution photogrammetry to monitor Zostera marina beds. Other speakers highlighted the use of satellite imagery, drones and multi-scale technologies that are transforming our understanding of these habitats. Restoration science sessions explored microbial drivers of seed germination, temperature driven distribution shifts and optimisation of seed selection. Tadgh, our Senior Seagrass Aquaculture Technician, presented promising updates from our HMS OCToPUS, demonstrating how a single unit can inject 2,000 seeds into the seabed in under 20 minutes.
With anthropogenic pressures on seagrass increasingly recognised, several talks examined the drivers of decline. Water quality was a key theme, with research from Cornwall, Northumberland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, highlighting how pollution remains a significant and ongoing threat to seagrass health. Building on this, the socio-ecological session showed that while human activity can drive declines, the recovery of seagrass also depends on human action. Historical records, community participation and the Wales National Action Plan were discussed, emphasising how people are central to restoration initiatives. Sharing the method behind the Blue Meadows community engagement programme, Eden, explained how a Theory of Change can be used to ensure communities feel connected to seagrass and are empowered to take action for its protection.
The Symposium also tackled the complexities of funding nature recovery, exploring biodiversity markets, carbon credits, community value, and the development of seagrass tokens. Experts from across the finance and conservation sectors emphasised the importance of collaboration in unlocking sustainable investment for seagrass and other blue habitats. Research from National Oceanographic Centre, the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter, underlined the importance of seagrass as a nature-based solution for climate change mitigation, while Mark, our Head of Ocean Habitat Restoration, shared insights from our deep-core sampling work along the South Coast, helping to build the evidence needed for sustainable investment in seagrass restoration.
Creativity flowed throughout the symposium, from the interpretative seagrass dance performed by Clowndance Seagrass Project to the creative academic posters, and the ‘seagrass of hope’ mural. A highlight for many was the creative connection workshop lead by Dr Katie Debois and marine wildlife artist Oliver Ledger, which invited participants to explore what seagrass means to them, and together create a collaborative art piece. Oliver also shared the story of ‘Ambassador’, his work highlighting the challenges facing seagrass meadows, which promoted thoughtful reflection among attendees. It was inspiring to see how art and science came together to communicate seagrass conservation in engaging and accessible ways.
As the symposium drew to a close, Howard Wood OBE, reminded us of the transformative power of community through the story of Arran’s COAST, where decades of local stewardship have delivered remarkable marine recovery. Delegates were left inspired and optimistic for the future of seagrass meadows.
The next UK Seagrass Symposium will travel north to Scotland in 2027 hosted by the Scottish Association for Marine Science, making its journey across the UK, continuing to connect people, science and action for seagrass meadows.
For us, the Symposium reflected everything we stand for, collaboration, community-led conservation, and the power of positive action. Events like this remind us of what’s possible when science, communities and action come together. Through Blue Meadows, we remain committed to the protection and restoration of seagrass meadows within the UK.
