All seagrass beds in Torbay protected by our Blue Meadows marker buoys!
Our Blue Meadows project delivers a holistic approach to seagrass protection, regeneration and restoration in the UK. We aim to protect 10% of all UK seagrass in the next 5 years, approximately 700 hectares!
By placing 23 marker buoys to highlight the presence of 6 seagrass beds across Torbay, we have protected over 65 hectares of sensitive seagrass meadows. That’s all of the seagrass beds in Torbay protected!
The Blue Meadows marker buoys are designed to let leisure and commercial boats know where seagrass exists, which will minimise disturbance of the meadows, allowing the seagrass to regenerate and flourish.
Boats anchoring on sensitive seagrass meadows has a detrimental effect on their overall health, which means the many environmental benefits that seagrass meadows provide are lost. Healthy seagrass meadows provide multiple benefits to the environment, including supporting fisheries, being a hotspot for biodiversity, reducing the effects of coastal erosion and capturing carbon.
The essence of the Blue Meadows project is one of co-operation to solve a critical problem and to grasp a wonderful opportunity. The support of Torbay Harbour Authority and Marine Farm Services were key to getting the new marker buoys in place to highlight where these sensitive habitats are in Torbay. We are delighted to also be supported by a number of partners across the UK, as well as passionate seagrass champions in the communities where Blue Meadows sites are located.
Find out more about the Blue Meadows approach below.