While out on a walk at low tide, have you ever noticed grass growing on the shore and wondered what it is?
You are looking at intertidal seagrass, which is a flowering plant, just like the grass in your garden. It grows in sheltered, muddy areas and it’s fantastic at storing carbon and creating habitat for a wide variety of species. Sadly, over the past 50 years we have lost 92% of our seagrass beds nationally, with the biggest losses being intertidal seagrass beds in our estuaries.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust are on a mission to restore our local intertidal seagrass meadows. Research has shown that these muddy estuarine seagrass beds hold up to four times more carbon than those that are found in deeper waters.
Seasalt Cornwall have provided funding over the past three years which has allowed the trialling of several different methods of replanting intertidal seagrass on the Fal-Ruan and Helford estuaries. As a result of this work, we now have a robust methodology which is ready to be rolled out across Cornwall. Now we need your help to identify new areas to restore.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Seagrass Project Assistant, Beth Ford said: “We want to give nature a helping hand by restoring sites in Cornwall where intertidal seagrass was present in the past but has now disappeared.”
Finding these new restoration sites is challenging, as historical records of their whereabouts are very limited.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Seagrass Project Officer, Chloe James said: "Memories from local residents can help build a picture that will aid our active restoration and support recovery."
Maybe you have a fond memory of seagrass growing on your local shores, but now you notice it’s gone. Cornwall Wildlife Trust wants to help bring it back.
If you have any information which you think might be useful to the project please contact us on:
07966581046
