ENVIRONMENT
Protect Our Seas
News and views from the world of marine heritage and conservation
50 years of Lundy protection
This year ’ s Lundy Marine Festival will take place over two months this coming summer , from 14 July to 11 September 2022 . The idea is to highlight the island ’ s Marine Protected Area through various projects and educational activities for all ages . The Festival will act as an ‘ umbrella ’ for various projects and activities , all of which have a connection to the sea and to the Marine Protected Area in particular . At its core will be a marine Bioblitz – an opportunity to discover as many different species as possible occurring on the island ’ s shores and under water . The event relies on the active participation of visitors to Lundy , with a wide range of citizen science projects , activities , displays and competitions taking place . These will be for non-divers and divers alike . Whether you ’ re someone who has very little marine biological knowledge ( and hasn ’ t done this sort of thing before ), or if you ’ re a seasoned campaigner who has quite a bit of experience of events like this , there ’ ll be something for you to get involved with . And besides getting you to have some fun , you ’ ll be contributing useful data which will help towards the future management of the MPA . For more information go to lundymarinefestival . org . uk
Seagrass seeding in the Sound
Volunteers packed 20,000 bags of seagrass seeds during March to help restore seagrass within the natural harbour of Plymouth Sound . This restoration work is part of England ’ s largest seagrass planting effort under the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES partnership , led by Natural England . The partnership ’ s restoration leaders – Ocean Conservation Trust ( OCT ) – went to work on one hectare of planting at Jennycliff Bay in Plymouth Sound , adding to the 1.5 hectares of seagrass planted there last year . Mark Parry , Development Officer at the Ocean Conservation Trust , said : “ After the success of our previous planting effort , we are excited to be getting underway again . These events take a lot of hard work , planning and preparation , and wouldn ’ t be successful without the help of our community .” Research shows at least 44 % of the UK ’ s seagrass has been lost since 1936 .
42