The LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES: ‘Reducing and Mitigating Erosion and Disturbance Impacts affecting the Seabed’ project (LIEF 18/ NAT/UK/0000039) runs from July 2019 to October 2024. It seeks to improve the condition of seabed habitats, including seagrass beds, in five Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) between Essex and the Isles of Scilly.
This will be achieved by restoration, demonstration and reduction of recreational pressures. Alongside this, it will promote awareness, communicate and inspire better care for sensitive seabed habitats.
Natural England (lead partner) is working with Marine Conservation Society, Ocean Conservation Trust, Plymouth City Council/TECF and the Royal Yachting Association. The project is financially supported by LIFE, a financial instrument of the European Commission. Targeted project delivery for the Isles of Scilly included workshops with local stakeholders to raise awareness and capture local knowledge of seagrass in the Scillies.
This report will make a vital contribution to the aims of the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project by providing condition data for the review of the status of the seagrass beds on the Isles of Scilly since the baseline completed at the start of the project. It draws upon existing data and evidence from Natural England and the supplied over the last 30-years.
This report will also draw together summaries and recommendations from recent 2022 commissioned seagrass projects to help inform future seagrass monitoring, research, and conservation actions.