Dive Into the Solent Seascape Project – recognised by the United Nations

Ever heard of the Solent Seascape Project? It’s a big deal for our local waters and the ocean as a whole! This initiative has just been given a thumbs-up as an official United Nations Decade Action. What does that mean? It means this project is now part of a global movement to protect and restore our marine environments.

So, what’s the Solent Seascape Project all about? It’s the first of its kind in the UK to tackle marine restoration on such a large scale. The project focuses on a huge area between the Isle of Wight and mainland England, working to fix up key habitats like salt marshes, seagrass beds, oyster reefs, and seabird nesting sites. Why? Because these habitats are really important for sea life and us humans too. They help store carbon, fight climate change, protect coastlines from erosion, and make our waters cleaner.

The project isn’t just about science; it’s also about getting the local community involved. They’re measuring how restored habitats like seagrass and saltmarsh help with carbon storage and working with local people to co-create the project. This way, everyone feels connected to and invested in their marine environment.

The project addresses three big challenges set by the UN’s Ocean Decade: protecting and restoring ecosystems, finding ocean-based solutions to climate change, and encouraging people to change their behavior for the better.

The Solent Seascape Project is a team effort involving ten organizations, including Blue Marine Foundation, RSPB, the University of Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, among others. They’re all coming together to make sure our coastal habitats are healthy and thriving – and Wightlink is proud to be supporting the project.

Rosalie Wright from Blue Marine Foundation is thrilled about the international recognition. She told us, “We are immensely proud that 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, at a local and global scale.”

Want to stay updated on this exciting project? Check out the Solent Seasape website at to learn more and sign up for their newsletter.