Results of Seasalt Cornwall seagrass project in Falmouth

Seagrass planting trials in the Fal Estuary have already produced results, with seedlings growing in all three planting method trials.

This announcement comes on the one-year anniversary of the seagrass project launch, ‘Seeding Change Together,’ run by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and funded by Seasalt Cornwall.

Thanks to the clothing company’s donation of £150,000 to the project, as part of a three-year partnership, the project is using technology never previously trialled in Cornwall, to study – and hopefully expand – the seagrass bed found at Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Fal-Ruan nature reserve.

Around 4,000 seeds were collected from stable and healthy meadows in the Fal Estuary at the end of last summer and planted in the mudflats to test a variety of methods aimed at identifying the most effective ways of restoring and growing seagrass. There are now seedlings growing in all three planting method trials.

What is seagrass?

Seagrass is a flowering marine plant that has the potential to capture carbon from the environment up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, making it a valuable resource in the fight against climate change.

It also provides a habitat for marine life such as juvenile fish and seahorses, cleans surrounding seawater and helps to stabilise the seabed to protect the coast from erosion.

Sophie Pipe, seagrass project officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: “Over the past eight weeks, we have been expectantly checking on the planting trials in the hope that we will begin to see some seedlings emerge.

“I am really pleased to share we have seedlings growing in all three of our planting method trials (hessian bags planted after a seed rotting phase, hessian bags planted with seeds with no rotting phase, and the horizontal rhizome transplant method), which has gone beyond our hopes and expectations for our first year.

READ MORE: Seasalt partners with Cornwall Wildlife Trust on seagrass restoration project

“These positive results give us a fantastic foundation to learn and build upon for our next season of planting trials. Due to this initial success, we intend to continue to expand on these current methods this year with the addition of two further methods for small scale restoration trials.

“It is early days, and the seedlings still have the challenge of surviving through what is projected to be another hot summer, but it is a fantastic start.”

Sophie Pipe, Seagrass Officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust and William Gee, Head of Sustainability at Seasalt (Image: Cornwall Wildlife Trust)

Sophie said the team had also found an additional seagrass meadow, further south in the Fal estuary, which has never been recorded or monitored before.

“We are already collecting data to learn about this new meadow with the intention of expanding trials to this site this year, as well as using the strongest parts of the meadow as additional donor material.

“Whilst early days, this is very exciting news, and we look forward to what the future holds,” she added.

Paul Hayes, CEO at Seasalt Cornwall, congratulated the team at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, saying: “It is our ambition that the Seeding Change Together project becomes a vital case study in developing Seagrass ecosystems, opening the door for large-scale seagrass restoration across Cornwall and beyond.

“This is a giant leap forwards to reaching that goal and we’re thrilled to be supporting it.”

What has happened so far

The process of restoring the seagrass bed started in summer 2022. Baseline surveys were carried out in July, prior to any activity taking place, to assess the size and health of the seagrass meadows.

A small group of volunteers – including employees from Seasalt Cornwall – have contributed more than 120 hours to the project by collecting and planting seeds. The team used bodyboards on the mud to hold their weight when moving around the site, helping to minimise disturbance to these delicate plants.

Sophie Pipe and Will Gee carrying out a survey, kneeling on old bodyboards to reduce impact on the mudflats (Image: Cornwall Wildlife Trust)

Newly purchased testing equipment, funded by Seasalt Cornwall, is helping scientists to understand how water quality is affecting the seagrass populations on-site. It is believed to be the first time these tests have been carried out at this location.

Marine biologists from Cornwall Wildlife Trust have tested a variety of methods aimed at identifying the most effective ways of restoring and growing seagrass. This includes placing seed mixtures into biodegradable hessian bags which are planted into the mudflats, as well as using cuttings of seagrass as an alternative to seed collection.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Fal-Ruan nature reserve is home to dwarf eelgrass, one of two species of seagrass found in Cornish waters.

In the UK, approximately 92% of seagrass was lost in the last century. The huge decline has been caused by pollution, disease, and coastal development. Additionally, damage from anchoring, moorings and dredging has impacted the country’s seagrass beds.

If success continues, Cornwall Wildlife Trust hopes the project could lead to large-scale restoration and planting of seagrass in Cornwall’s estuaries.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust is inviting the public to celebrate this and its other marine achievements during National Marine Week: a nationwide celebration of the UK’s seas.

From tomorrow (July 29) until Sunday, August 6, people can get involved in various events with marine and coastal enthusiasts around the county.

READ MORE: Nine days of family fun and facts celebrating Cornwall's seas and wildlife

Join rockpool ramblers, seagrass snorkelers, and cliff-top dolphin watchers to learn about the extraordinary marine life along Cornwall’s coastline. 

The events have been organised in partnership with Cornwall’s Your Shore Network – a movement of 18 community-led marine conservation groups which Cornwall Wildlife Trust coordinates.