A PROJECT's pioneering role involving Isle of Wight expertise in helping to protect and restore the Solent's marine biodiversity, has gained global recognition from the United Nations. 

The Solent Seascape Survey — the first seascape-scale marine restoration project in the UK —  has been designated an official UN Decade Action.

The project's uniqueness lies in its recognition of the critical role of connecting key habitats in The Solent — salt marshes, seagrass beds, oyster reefs and seabird sites — due to the collective benefits they provide. 

The survey is a partnership between ten key organisations, working together to protect and restore important habitats within the Solent, a diverse estuarine system between the Isle of Wight and the mainland. 

Scientists gathering seagrass seed at Seaview, Isle of Wight.Scientists gathering seagrass seed at Seaview, Isle of Wight. (Image: Solent Seascape Project)

They include the Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, Blue Marine Foundation, RSPB, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Project Seagrass, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Coastal Partners, Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature, and the University of Portsmouth.  

Together, they are developing an ambitious recovery plan for The Solent, as well as "actively restoring and reconnecting critical coastal habitats, to create a thriving, functioning seascape for all".

In July, the project was endorsed by the UN for contributing towards international goals for the protection and restoration of marine biodiversity. 

The project achieved restoration to all four key habitats, including seven seabird sites, four trial sites for seagrass, and areas of salt marsh and for oysters.  

Project co-ordinator, Rosalie Wright, of the Blue Marine Foundation, said: “We are immensely proud the Solent Seascape Project has been recognised internationally by such a prestigious institution.

"As a UN Ocean Decade Action, we look forward to working alongside and learning from this network, to collectively achieve change for our ocean on a local and global scale.” 

The project also scientifically monitors the benefits of seascape-scale restoration, including measuring the carbon storage potential of restored habitats, such as saltmarsh and seagrass.