A £2.5m project has been launched to restore fragile marine habitats and Plymouth Sound and estuaries will be one of the five areas across the country to benefit.
The marine restoration project will help protect seahorses, stalked jellyfish and rare seaweeds at risk of damage from leisure activities and the project will provide environmentally friendly moorings and habitat restoration in five areas across southern England.
The scheme has been awarded £1.5 million from the EU’s LIFE fund and is the result of more than 12 months of partners working together including the Ocean Conservation Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Royal Yachting Association and Plymouth City Council. The other £1 million has been match funded from Natural England and the other partner organisations.
The project, running from July 2019 to October 2023, was due to be publicly launched at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth today (Thursday, Jan 30).
The programme will directly train nearly 2,000 recreational users to collect seed and replant seagrass; inspire better care of the seagrass beds by recreational boat users and roll-out solutions including advanced mooring systems that are more gentle on delicate underwater habitats.