In June 2021 a new cycle of monitoring the subtidal seagrass (Zostera marina) beds in the Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation (SAC) commenced. Selected sites were surveyed previously in 2018 and 2020 by the Environment Agency to record the seagrass extent and percent cover.
Natural England led the 2021 in-situ survey programme following the methods developed for surveying seagrass beds in Torbay. The data collected will allow the condition of the subtidal seagrass beds to be assessed against some of the targets for this feature of the SAC.
This is an EU LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES Project: Reducing and Mitigating Erosion and Disturbance Impacts affecting the Seabed. The ReMEDIES survey programme (including the EA 2018 and 2020 surveys) was designed primarily to monitor the subtidal seagrass bed feature of the SAC.
Both the extent and distribution of the beds and the ecological structure and function of the beds and their associated biological communities have conservation targets to be restored from their present unfavourable or unknown conditions.