DoomsdaysCW<p>Project to restore &#39;vital&#39; <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/seagrass" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>seagrass</span></a> around <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Scotland" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Scotland</span></a></p><p>March 1, 2025</p><p>&quot;A £2.4m seagrass planting programme has been launched to help restore the plant in seas around the north of Scotland.</p><p>&quot;The project aims to plant 14 hectares (34.6 acres) of seagrass, often described as a &#39;wonder plant&#39; by conservationists, over the next three years. </p><p>&quot;Seagrasses are often likened to rainforests because they provide food and shelter for thousands of species, but they have been declining globally since the 1930s.</p><p>&quot;In the last century 92% of the plants have been lost from Britain&#39;s coasts and areas once covered by seagrass are now &#39;lifeless seabeds&#39;, according to research by University College London.</p><p>&quot;The new initiative is a partnership between the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SMEEF" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SMEEF</span></a>) and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).</p><p>&quot;Grants have been awarded to four organisations that cover areas from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Shetland" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Shetland</span></a> to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Kintyre" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Kintyre</span></a> peninsula.</p><p>&quot;These are <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MossyEarth" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>MossyEarth</span></a>&#39;s <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WilderFirths" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>WilderFirths</span></a> project (based around the Black Isle), Kintyre Coastal Network&#39;s East Kintyre Biosphere, Wester Ross Fisheries Trust&#39;s seagrass planting project and Restoring Shetland&#39;s Marlie Meadows - a project by the University of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Highlands" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Highlands</span></a> and Islands.</p><p>&quot;Seagrass is home to a vast number of species, and is a food source for many others.</p><p>&quot;It can purify water and slow down waves, protecting coastal areas from flooding as a result.</p><p>&quot;The plant also takes in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CO2" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CO2</span></a>, making it useful in tackling <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateChange" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ClimateChange</span></a>.</p><p>&quot;The partnership said Scottish seas are a special place for marine habitats like seagrass, with the country&#39;s coasts stretching 18,000km (11,185 miles) and containing 8,000 species or more.&quot;</p><p><a href="https://bbc.com/news/articles/cd65j7jd3z5o" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bbc.com/news/articles/cd65j7jd</span><span class="invisible">3z5o</span></a><br /><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Rewilding" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Rewilding</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SolarPunkSunday" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>SolarPunkSunday</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RestoringWetlands" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RestoringWetlands</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MarineEnvironment" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>MarineEnvironment</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ScottishCoast" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ScottishCoast</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CoastErosion" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>CoastErosion</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Flooding" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>Flooding</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RestoreWetlands" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>RestoreWetlands</span></a></p>