Solent to Sussex Bay Coastal Restoration Research Network

A project that brings together marine scientists and business leaders to help improve the health of the UK coastline starts this week. Researchers hope the initiative will help tackle biodiversity loss in coastal regions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Solent to Sussex Bay Seascape Restoration project will build on the pioneering restoration projects occurring across the region to unlock the barriers to upscaling seascape restoration by uniting science and business communities on the South Coast of England, and eventually nationally.

Seascape restoration is a nature-based solution to tackle biodiversity loss, boost carbon take up, and enhance economic and community values in seagrass, saltmarsh, kelp, and oyster habitats. To unlock these benefits, the finance and coastal restoration communities require urgent support to understand barriers to sustainable financing and opportunities to scale-up and sustain restoration activities.

The Solent to Sussex Bay Seascape Restoration is a twelve-month project funded by NERC (National Environment Research Council) – it has the following timelines:

Activity 1. Solent to Sussex Bay Seascape Restoration Network set-up and investigation into the main blockages. Months 1-3.
Activity 2. Through workshops and interviews explore gaps and identify opportunities to integrate finance and biodiversity into seascape restoration. Months 3-9.
Activity 3. National multi-stakeholder dialogues to integrate biodiversity and finance within seascape restoration and development of a unified UK-wide strategy for future seascape restoration projects. Months 6-12.