Question 1

I want to start my own restoration project, where should I start?

Accepted Answer

These FAQs along with the Resources and Step-by-Step guide provide a wealth of information and are a good starting point! It is important to note that seagrass and native oysters are protected species and the appropriate licensing and permissions must be obtained before beginning any restoration activities.

Question 2

How much does it cost to start my own project?

Accepted Answer

The first stage of any restoration project is to get your community onboard and motivated. The next stage involves getting to know your local seabed, discovering what habitats are there already and what sites might be ripe for restoration. This can be undertaken with inexpensive equipment such as snorkels, masks, cameras and quadrants. The NatureScot Community-Led Marine Biodiversity Handbook provides lots of information on how to do this. You can find a full equipment list for undertaking community scale seagrass or oyster restoration in the Resources section:
 
https:// www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/2020-06/Community-led%20Marine%20Biodiversity%20Monitoring%20Handbook.pdf

Question 3

The NatureScot guidelines say that I need to start by monitoring my area before I start restoration, how do I do this?

Accepted Answer

Restoration starts with getting to know your local seabed, discovering what habitats are there already and what sites might be ripe for restoration. This can be undertaken with inexpensive equipment such as snorkels, masks, cameras and quadrants. The NatureScot Community-Led Marine Biodiversity Handbook provides lots of information on how to do this.
 
https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/2020-06/Communityled%20Marine%20Biodiversity%20Monitoring%20Handbook.pdf

Question 4

I have seen some seagrass locally, what should I do?

Accepted Answer

Logging the location of the seagrass and ideally photos on our great seagrass survey allows us and fellow scientists to add its location to international databases. This information is extremely valuable as there is still a lot that we don’t know about the location of seagrass around our coasts.
 
Click here to acess the Seagrass Spotter Tool

Question 5

We have some seagrass in our local area, should I collect some seeds and replant them?

Accepted Answer

No, seagrass is a fragile and protected species, the appropriate licensing and permissions must be obtained before beginning any restoration activities.

Question 6

What is biosecurity and how is it relevant to my project?

Accepted Answer

It is important that restoration activities should not harm the existing ecosystem in any way. It is particularly important to avoid bringing diseases, pests or invasive species into new areas through restoration activities. These can be introduced to an area by moving biological matter such as seagrass seeds or juvenile oysters. They can also be introduced from clothing and equipment used in the water. Biosecurity procedures are the actions put in place to limit these risks. It is very important that all restoration activities have robust biosecurity plans and procedures. The Check, Clean, Dry initiative provides information on reducing biosecurity risks for leisure water users.
 
http://www.nonnativespecies.org/checkcleandry/

Question 7

Do I need any special permissions to undertake a marine habitat restoration project?

Accepted Answer

Yes, exactly what permissions you will need will depend on where your restoration is taking place, ie which nation, where on the shoreline, depth of water, distance from shore etc as well as what restoration activities you are planning to undertake. The handbooks in the Resources section include details of these.

Question 8

Why do you restore seagrass where you do?

Accepted Answer

There are a lot of unknowns about the whereabouts of historic seagrass meadows, and that which we do know is gleaned from archives, oral history, contemporary observation and computer modelling.

The science says that over 90% of seagrass meadows have disappeared around the UK coastline, and the situation in Loch Craignish might, to some extent, exemplify the broader picture. For example, we have approx. 5 hectares of seagrass in scattered meadows, however we have identified approx. 80 hectares of seabed which looks like the perfect habitat for seagrass in that the area is lagoonal, adjacent to existing meadows, the same muddy substrate and the right depth. Anecdotal evidence from two local sources, state that seagrass used to be in these areas, but has long-since disappeared possibly owing to the turbidity and reduced water flow in the lagoon resulting from the Ardfern Yacht Centre expansion over the last few decades. So, bluntly, while we can’t say exactly where it was, our guesswork as to where it could be restored, is well informed.

The science is still in its infancy with regards to identifying historic and long-lost seagrass meadows. However we are working with SAMS (Scottish Association for Marine Sciences) to use environmental DNA to search for genetic traces of seagrass in sediment samples to help inform the choice of restoration areas. At this stage, we are enhancing existing meadows rather than planting new ones, but if eDNA sampling in this manner proves conclusive, then it may enable us to be more ambitious.

Frequently asked questions