As a nature and environmental asset providing ecosystem services, the Government in its 25-Year Environmental Plan for ‘securing clean, healthy, productive, and biologically diverse seas and oceans’, has seagrass beds as a priority habitat under section 41 of NERC Act 2006, with a legal duty to conserve and enhance such habitats. The aims of this report are to consider and assess the outcomes of the ReMEDIES project by ‘Action D1’, using the best available evidence from a baseline of seagrass surveys at the start of the project in 2018, to the most complete and recent data towards the end of the project in 2024. Using data provided by Natural England (NE) dive surveys and Environment Agency (EA) (boat-based) drop-down video surveys, the report models the differences in seagrass bed coverage; estimated extent including estimated extent by coverage; possible infection burden by ranked browning scale; and longest leaf-length as a proxy for biomass.
The results presented in the report suggest extent changes have occurred with some beds showing measured improvements, but also bed loss in some areas including fragmentation and loss of higher-density seagrass bed area. The results indicate that infection burden is persistent in certain beds, and biomass has significant differences, both site-specific and therefore linked to undescribed environmental factors. The report highlights the importance of pressure identification and reduction for improving seagrass condition.