UK’s Largest-Ever Seagrass Restoration Project Begins in Cornwall - Cornwall Wildlife Trust

£1.8 million initiative aims to restore an entire marine ecosystem and accelerate ocean recovery at scale

The largest seagrass restoration project ever undertaken in the UK has been launched in an ambitious £1.8 million marine recovery programme in Cornwall. As well as plans to restore 10 hectares of seagrass meadow in Falmouth Bay, the project includes the restoration of native oyster populations across the Fal and Helford Special Areas of Conservation through a combination of active habitat restoration, monitoring and community stewardship.

Delivered through a new partnership between the Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) and Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT), Mor Nature, Cornwall’s first seascape-scale marine restoration initiative, will combine OCT’s expertise in large-scale seagrass restoration with CWT’s leadership in native oyster recovery.

With Mor being the Cornish word for sea, Mor Nature, will contribute towards 2043 government targets to increase seagrass by 15% compared to 2024 levels.

Backed by £1.4 million from Defra's Species Recovery Programme alongside additional funding partners, the project supports the government's Wild Again: Restoring England's Wildlife campaign. Led by the OCT and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the three-year programme will bring together multiple partners, including Falmouth Harbour, Cornwall Council, the Zoological Society of London, the University of Exeter, the Duchy of Cornwall, Falmouth Marine Conservation Group, and other local organisations, to help rebuild some of the UK's most important marine ecosystems.