Bay watch
Sussex Bay , that is . 100 miles of coastline where our seascape and rivers flourish . A healthy ecosystem in which nature , people and local economy can thrive . Doesn ’ t sound like too much to ask , does it ? Benita Matofska takes a closer look at the Sussex Bay initiative , and a personal view of what she calls Blue Magic
I
’ ve long been fascinated by the wonders of our waterscapes and how vital ocean conservation is to our very existence . 70 % of our planet is covered in water – from seas and salt marshes , to rivers and inland coastal waterways , these shape the land , the way we live , eat and breathe – they ’ re vital to our health , wealth and happiness and we need them to survive . When they thrive collectively , this is Blue Magic .
I grew up in land-locked Leeds and the first time I saw the sea , I was 18 months old and stood and stared and was silent for the first time . It was my first encounter and it would come to shape my life .
Fast forward to when I was 10 . Riddled with eczema , my parents took me to the Dead Sea . They ’ d heard about its healing powers and had been told that if you submerge yourself in the water for seven minutes , it can heal even the most damaged skin . Willing to give it a go I gripped his hands tightly and in we walked . The pain in my open sores was terrible , but I persevered and managed to stay submerged . Within three weeks , my eczema had cleared . It felt like a miracle . Nature ’ s minerals in the Dead Sea – magnesium , calcium and potassium – had worked their Blue Magic .
So what does all this have to do with us Brightonians ? Well a new initiative called Sussex Bay is set to bring Blue Magic to our very own shores , so we can reap the benefits . Sussex Bay is a mission to regenerate , restore and revive 100 miles of our Sussex coastline . Paul Brewer , the Director for Sustainability and Resources at Adur and Worthing Council and Dean Aragon-Spears , Head of Blue Natural Capital are spearheading this incredible project .
Dean describes Sussex Bay as ‘ a movement initiated by Adur & Worthing
Councils , powered by civic organisations , local businesses , communities and people .’
Through what they describe as ‘ bold collaboration ’ they aim to generate £ 50 million by 2050 to accelerate local seascape recovery along this incredible coastline – from Selsey in the west to Camber Sands in the east including its river systems , coastline and marine area out to 12 nautical miles .
Sussex Bay came about after Adur & Worthing Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 . Two local projects inspired the next step : the Knepp Estate which has rewilded 951 hectares of farmland and seen massive increases in wildlife and biodiversity , and secondly the work of the Sussex Inshore Fisheries Association to introduce a 300 km2 trawler exclusion zone off West Sussex to restore the decimated historic kelp forest . If yoiu could rewild the land , why couldn ’ t you rewild the sea ?
“ There ’ s an urgent need to reverse the catastrophic decline in marine biodiversity . Sea-based rewilding projects are far less common than those on land . The Blue
Marine Foundation defines rewilding the sea as ‘ any effort to improve the health of the ocean by actively restoring habitats and species , or by leaving it alone to recover ’. Healthy seabed drive a richer marine ecology , so when habitats recover so does everything that relies upon it .
“ Now more than ever we must bring nature back to our seabed , reefs and rivers . Restoring these ecosystems and their blue natural capital helps protect our coasts from storms , clean our waters , store carbon and support biodiversity .
And as nature recovers , people and the coastal economy will benefit too ; from sustainable fisheries to enhanced health and wellbeing , and new commercial opportunities in ecotourism and leisure .” And that is magic .
l https :// www . sussexbay . org . uk /
Benita Matofska is a speaker and author of Generation Share , a collection of 200 stories of changemakers . benita @ benitamatofska . com