Damaged marine habitats in Solent to be restored in £4m project
Important wildlife areas will be improved
More than £4m is going to be spent on restoring damaged marine habitats in the Solent.
Seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, saltmarsh and seabird nesting sites will be improved during the five-year Solent Seascape Project.
The important wildlife habitats have been harmed by poor water quality, industrialisation and disturbance over the years.
The $5m grant from the Endangered Landscapes Programme will be used by ten organisations.
Louise MacCallum from Blue Marine Foundation said: "Each of the Solent Seascape Project partners brings a unique set of skills to the project.
"It’s an incredibly strong coalition of organisations that truly want to work together to deliver benefits for people and nature."
Dr Joanne Preston from the University of Portsmouth, which is leading the scientific monitoring work for the project, said: "Embarking upon a marine habitat restoration project at this scale is truly ground breaking from a scientific perspective.
"It will be fascinating to compare the ecosystem benefits of restoration work here in the Solent – a temperate seascape - to those seen in tropical systems where restoration techniques are slightly further ahead."