
Off the coast of Wales‘, 5 million seagrass seeds are to be planted in order to create climate change-fighting underwater meadows. 50,000 were laid at Penychain off the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd in February. By 2026, the organisation Seagrass Ocean Rescue aims to have planted 10 hectares (25 acres) of seagrass meadows.
According to Rory Francis of the WWF, Wales has lost 92% of its seagrass over the past 100 years. The reason for the loss has been mainly due to industry. Restoration will be possible through the meadows which not only will make a difference in absorbing carbon but even just one hectare could also provide a habitat for 80,000 fish.
The process of planting the seeds involves either using hessian bags or combining the seeds with mud and then injecting them into the seabed, according to Bethan Thomas, of Project Seagrass. The bag planting method was carried out during a trial in Pembrokeshire to show that it could be done.
The project has been given a marine licence to conduct restoration trials and was awarded a £1m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.