Seagrass: Could this be an important part of North Devon's Future? - Tim Jones

For those who know me, you will have picked up my passion for the North Devon Biosphere where I have the privilege of Chairing the Biosphere Foundation.

We have set an ambitious agenda for this huge project (1.3 million acres, including marine assets beyond Lundy). Our vision is that within five years this project will be a market leader and wealth creator for our region, a landmark project for the South West.

There are a huge number of inspirational schemes, either under way or being planned for. These include extensive tree planting, where the benefits of capturing carbon (carbon sequestration) will be a major part of achieving net zero emission targets. One of the most exciting areas currently under investigation is what we will be doing with our marine assets. This includes intertidal areas, such as Bideford Bay, but also areas where there is permanent water coverage. This is why we are examining in detail the use of seagrass as part of our energy saving initiatives.

Seagrass meadows are the third most valuable ecosystem in the world after estuaries and wetlands. This is a marine flowering plant which forms dense underwater meadows in shallow coastal waters. Globally, there are roughly 70 species of which there are four growing in the UK. One already in the South West is Common Eelgrass, these are amazing plants which produce large leaves up to 1 metre in length. Once established they form huge meadows which in turn shelter a wide variety of marine life. It has only recently been recognised how valuable this could be in halting or even reversing climate change. For many years valuable seagrass meadows have been lost through human activity. Around 10 years ago it was estimated that we were losing an area of seagrass the size of two football pitches every hour.

These losses are now being addressed. There are some brilliant scientists in our region who are working on seagrass projects. Our Universities are leading the way on this. One of the foremost experts is the Chief Executive at Plymouth Marine Aquarium. He is helping to develop a large scale pilot project in Plymouth Sound. Currently the Aquarium are developing young seed stock for planting. An area of 22 hectares has been identified for this. In Northern Devon we can be a lot more ambitious than this, we can look at a commercial scale project and are exploring an area in excess of 100 hectares.

If we can deliver this, it would be one of the biggest projects in the world. In Denmark there is in preparation an area of around 90 hectares. The end game is to capitalise on the huge number of biodiversity benefits this can bring. Seagrass has roots, stems and leaves which produce flowers and seeds. These absorb nutrients and photosynthesize. This means that they capture carbon far more effectively and more quickly than growing trees. They support biodiversity by providing food, habitat and safety for other marine organisms. They can improve water quality by filtering sediment and pollutants and they can protect coastlines by absorbing wave energy and stabilising the sea floor.

Perhaps of these qualities the most important is their ability to absorb and store carbon. Although seagrasses only currently cover about 0.1% of the seabed, they are responsible for around 11% of the carbon storage for the whole ocean. Through photosynthesis, they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Just one hectare of dense seagrass meadow can release up to 100,000 litres of oxygen every day.

Whilst seagrass is not the only opportunity for farming the seabed (aquaculture), it is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and potentially economically rewarding. We will also, within the biosphere, be looking at seaweed production which has different but other exciting characteristics.

As we develop these concepts over the next few months, we hope every one in our region will be excited by this project and participate in the successes it will undoubtedly bring.

Written by Tim Jones, Chairman of the North Devon Biosphere Foundation