The Solent Seascape Project - which is working to restore, protect and connect nature - has been endorsed by the United Nations (UN).
It is the first seascape-scale marine restoration initiative in the UK and has been recognised as a Decade Action, joining other worldwide initiatives endorsed by the UN that seek to bridge gaps in important areas of ocean science and to connect people to the ocean in a sustainable way.
Project Coordinator, Rosalie Wright of Blue Marine Foundation, said: "We are immensely proud that the Solent Seascape Project has been recognised internationally by such a prestigious institution. As a UN Ocean Decade Action, we look forward to working alongside and learning from this network to collectively achieve change for our ocean, at a local and global scale."
The Solent Seascape Project's uniqueness lies in its recognition of the critical role of connectivity across key habitats - salt marshes, seagrass beds, oyster reefs and seabird sites - due to the collective benefits they provide for people and nature.
It is a partnership of ten influential organisations working together to protect and restore important habitats within the Solent, a diverse estuarine system between the Isle of Wight and mainland England.
Project partners include the University of Portsmouth, Blue Marine Foundation, RSPB, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Project Seagrass, Natural England, Environment Agency, Coastal Partners, Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN).
They are working to scientifically monitor the benefits of seascape-scale restoration, including measuring the carbon storage potential of restored habitats such as saltmarsh and seagrass, and ensuring that local people and sea-users co-design the project, thereby becoming more connected and engaged with their own marine environment.
The restoration of all four key habitats included in the project has already started with seven seabird sites, four trial sites for seagrass, 0.25 ha for salt marsh and 0.25 ha for oysters.
Spanning 66 countries, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) includes ten Ocean Decade Challenges that aim to use science for the benefit of the ocean. The Solent Seascape Project actively addresses three of these challenges: to protect and restore ecosystems, unlock ocean-based solutions to climate change, and promote positive behaviour change, improving humanity's relationship with the ocean.
"Since the start of the Decade, we have built a strong awareness of the need for action within our community", said Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC).
"Now, we are channeling this determination into concrete efforts to get the best results."
The Solent was once the largest and most important oyster fishery in Europe, but over the last decade oysters have significantly dwindled in numbers as a result of poor water quality, competition from invasive species, disease and fishing pressure.
The loss of the native European oyster not only negatively impacts the livelihoods of local fishermen, but also removes the many ecosystem services that a healthy oyster population provides.
Dr Joanne Preston, Reader in Marine Ecology and Evolution at the University of Portsmouth, said: "This reef deployment is another significant step forward in re-creating the subtidal oyster reef habitat that has been all but lost in the Solent and across Europe. We hope this reef creates a tipping point; kick-starting a population of native oysters that builds over several generations and provides offspring that will spill over and populate other areas. We also predict strong biodiversity gains and water quality improvements, which we will be monitoring over the coming years."
You can find out more about the Solent Seascape Project and sign up for their newsletter here: www.solentseascape.com.
