UKDIVING
Spider crabs often become defensive and feisty in the presence of divers
The region is protected by an array of Marine Protected Area ( MPA ) designations , including a Marine Conservation Zone ( MCZ ) for its population of native oysters , Ostrea edulis . There is also the the Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation ( SAC ) which contains several important habitats , including eelgrass beds ( Zostera marina ), salt meadows and the most south-westerly maerl ( Phymatolithon calcareum ) bed in the UK . Despite its ecological importance , management of the Helford Estuary is mostly left to volunteers and the goodwill of visitors , most of whom are unaware of what it looks like from the diver ’ s perspective .
A state of mind
The ‘ Gardens ’ project brings together photography , natural history and stories from the local community , celebrating the tapestry of one of Cornwall ’ s most precious eco-regions . Throughout August , it ran as a debut exhibition in Trebah Garden ’ s gallery space , presenting
Sea scorpions blend with the rocky reefs
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The seeds of seagrass begin to develop two to four weeks after fertilisation