$5m project to restore life to the Solent’s seascape

A partnership of ten influential organisations working in the Solent region, including the University of Portsmouth, has successfully secured a $5m grant to undertake a five-year project to restore some of the Solent’s most at-risk marine habitats.

The money, granted by the Endangered Landscapes Programme, will be used to restore seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, saltmarsh and seabird nesting habitat across the region as part of the Solent Seascape Project.

In addition to physically restoring areas of these four key habitat types, the Solent Seascape Project will also work with landowners and regulators to improve the protection and management of existing Solent habitats. It will also monitor the benefits of seascape scale restoration scientifically and to ensure that local people and sea-users co-design the project, thereby becoming more connected and engaged with their own marine environment.

Dr Joanne Preston, Reader in Marine Ecology and Evolution at the University of Portsmouth, which is leading the scientific monitoring work for the project, said: “Embarking upon a marine habitat restoration project at this scale is truly ground-breaking from a scientific perspective. It will be fascinating to compare the ecosystem benefits of restoration work here in the Solent – a temperate seascape - to those seen in tropical systems where restoration techniques are slightly further ahead.”

The ten project partners include Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Natural England, Project Seagrass, Coastal Partners, Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN), Environment Agency, University of Portsmouth and Blue Marine Foundation.

Louise MacCallum, Solent Project Manager for Blue Marine Foundation said: “Each of the Solent Seascape Project partners brings a unique set of skills. It’s an incredibly strong coalition of organisations that truly want to work together to deliver benefits for people and nature.”

The Solent is recognised as an internationally important wintering and breeding ground for seabirds and waterfowl. The mud and sand flats present in the region support seagrass and saltmarsh and the seabed was once home to the most important native oyster fishery in Europe. All of these habitats, like so many others globally, have become fragmented and degraded through anthropomorphic pressures including poor water quality, increased industrialisation and disturbance.

The Solent Seascape Project aims to address these pressures by working with industry and stakeholders to co-design a Seascape Recovery Plan. Many local councils, harbour authorities, water companies and government regulators have provided letters of support for the project and are committed to restoring the Solent landscape for people, nature and climate.

Sarah Sanders, Programme Manager at the Endangered Landscapes Programme which is funding the project said: “ELP is delighted to support this exciting vision for the Solent, which, through the restoration and recovery of its important habitats and species, will initiate the delivery of a resilient seascape at scale that benefits local communities and mitigates climate change through coastal protection and increased carbon sequestration.”

Marine habitat restoration is in its infancy and as well as restoring habitats the project team will be monitoring the wider benefits of seascape scale restoration, including carbon sequestration, nutrient remediation and connectivity between habitats for mobile species such as fish.

As the project progresses, the project team hope to use the lessons learned during the restoration work to create a blueprint for restoring temperate marine habitats elsewhere. Louise MacCallum added: “Being part of a team about to embark on such a pioneering restoration project is so exciting. Using our combined knowledge, passion and experience on a project which will genuinely benefit marine wildlife in an area of the world we all love is such an amazing thing to be able to do. I can’t wait to get started.”