A new programme has been launched by Climate Impact Partners and Deloitte, in collaboration with Project Seagrass and the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, to fund the recovery of vital seagrass meadows across the UK. This initiative aims to unlock long-term financing for seagrass restoration, addressing the critical need for the recovery of these essential ecosystems.
Seagrass meadows play a significant role in sequestering carbon, protecting coastlines, and supporting marine biodiversity. However, they have been severely underfunded, with nearly a third of global seagrass lost in the past century. This programme aims to tackle the barriers that have hindered investment in seagrass restoration, including enhancing scientific understanding of carbon sequestration, piloting new propagation techniques, and engaging local communities in the restoration process.
The initiative will fund crucial research to map UK seagrass ecosystems and develop scalable restoration methods. A significant outcome of this work will be the creation of a new seagrass carbon code, which will enable companies to finance seagrass recovery more effectively and efficiently.
Smruti Naik-Jones, Chief Sustainability Officer of Deloitte UK and North & South Europe, emphasised the importance of this initiative in the context of global efforts to reach net-zero emissions. “Reaching net-zero will require the global economy to decarbonise as part of a connected system. This incredible seagrass programme enables us to learn more about these marine ecosystems, fund critical research, and unlock a powerful tool in the fight against the climate crisis,” Naik-Jones stated.
Kirsty Schneeberger, Head of Product Innovation at Climate Impact Partners, praised Deloitte’s commitment to climate leadership through this initiative. “Seagrass offers a unique opportunity to mitigate climate change while delivering significant co-benefits for biodiversity and coastal communities,” she remarked. “Imagine seagrass meadows as underwater vaults; they lock away enormous amounts of carbon for long periods, potentially millennia, as long as they remain healthy and undisturbed. We need to ensure they receive long-term and large-scale financing to accelerate restoration efforts.”
Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, Chief Executive Officer and Charity Co-Founder of Project Seagrass, highlighted the dual importance of protecting and restoring seagrass while supporting sustainable human activities dependent on these ecosystems. “We need to do this now, as a connected global community. This programme helps to deliver this,” she said.
Dr Claire Evans, a biogeochemist at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre, reiterated the potential of seagrass meadows as a nature-based solution to climate change. “They have been neglected for decades, which has led to their large-scale degradation and loss. This programme exemplifies how we can turn that loss into an opportunity for environmental renewal through large-scale restoration.”
In a show of commitment to the initiative, volunteers from Deloitte and Climate Impact Partners recently helped harvest seedlings from a healthy seagrass meadow as part of the recovery programme. The collaborative effort aims to foster a sustainable future for these essential marine ecosystems, underscoring the vital role seagrass plays in addressing climate change and supporting coastal communities.