Support Seagrass Ocean Rescue by shopping at Cotswold Outdoor this summer

Mynediad Newyddion
23 Mai
2 min read

Cotswold Outdoor invite you to round up your payment at the till in aid of The Climate Project from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust until 30 June 2025.

This spring/summer, the BMC's Premium Partner, Cotswold Outdoor, are very generously having a Pennies appeal in aid of The Climate Project from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust (ACT). As well as using your 15% BMC membership discount in store, with any gear you buy right now, you will be asked if you want to round up your payment by a few pence at the till with Pennies. Simply press the 'Yes' button to donate until the end of June 2025.

In 2023 Cotswold Outdoor raised over £35,000 for our Mend Our Mountains campaign through a similar Pennies at the till appeal. This year the proceeds will go to The Climate Project, so get that new pair of boots now! Find a Cotswold Outdoor store near you.

What is The Climate Project?

The Climate Project, from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust, is a collection of nature-based solutions and resources to fight the climate crisis. It includes our long-term commitment to planting sphagnum with Moors for the Future Partnership as part of their peatland restoration programme, and our latest addition - planting seagrass with Seagrass Ocean Rescue. You might be thinking, why should hill walkers, mountaineers and climbers divert their interest from the mountains towards the sea? We sent BMC Pembroke Access Rep, Steve Quinton, to the Seagrass Ocean Rescue open day this May to find out more about this vital marine plant...

Emily Yates from Seagrass Ocean Rescue explains the seagrass growing process

Why is seagrass so important?

Steve Quinton says, "We had a guided nursery tour, learning about how seagrass is grown, how the seeds are stored and Seagrass Ocean Rescue's research. Staff showed us about the work they've done so far, the next steps and upcoming events. The guides were very helpful and it was a lovely day out."

Steve spoke to Emily Yates, Seagrass Ocean Rescue Nursery Lead about the importance of UK seagrass, it's massive decline, and what the organisation are doing about it.

Why is seagrass so important? 
Seagrass around the UK coastline is vital, partly as a habitat for numerous (over 1,000) marine species (e.g. cod, sea horses) and also as a means of taking carbon dioxide out of the oceans and reducing ocean acidity. Seagrass meadows can absorb carbon as much as 40 times faster than rainforests. One hectare of seagrass can store around 400kg of carbon dioxide per year.

Why should BMC members be interested in seagrass?
Because restoring seagrass is part of the fight against human-induced climate change which is causing big problems in many mountain areas, and also to protect fish stocks for food security.

Which areas of the UK are the most degraded seagrass meadows? 
I'm not not sure of specific areas but British coasts have seen a catastrophic loss. Approximately 92% of our seagrass has been lost in the last 100 years due to coastal development and sea-water pollution.

What can be done to save seagrass? 
Reducing pollution, stopping anchoring and mooring of boats in seagrass areas and stopping trawling in some areas. Also, replanting work like we are doing at Seagrass Ocean Rescue. We need protected areas for seagrass to thrive in.

Support seagrass now!

Help us plant more carbon-locking seagrass by donating to The Climate Project

How are you researching seagrass? 
We are monitoring our success with various levels of salinity, different water temperatures, different sediments and planting at different times of the year. We have also set up a network with other organisations around the world doing similar work.

How do you store and grow the seeds? 
Seeds are harvested from a donor meadow in North Wales. They then go into tanks in polytunnels where conditions are closely controlled. Plants can then be planted out into larger ponds (up to 100m) on site and then transported to project areas, such as Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire.

How long does this process take? 
It varies but typically 9 months from seed to planting out.

What successes has the project had so far?
In 2023 1.5 million seeds were picked in North Wales, these were then planted across restoration sites in Wales and at the Project Seagrass nursery over a six month period. In 2024, 1.2 million seeds were picked. Plans are currently underway for the coming spring to plant these seeds out alongside nursery grown transplants. Seed collection is also planned for 2025 where the Seagrass Ocean Rescue project aims to collect a similar amount of seeds to the previous two years.

Will this save the seagrass around the UK coastline? 
The project needs to be scaled up - we are working on mechanisation but this is a way off. It's very labour intensive at the moment but we are expanding and continually improving methods.

Seagrass facts

  • Captures carbon faster than rainforest
  • Purifies seawater from pollutants
  • Provides vital habitats for marine life
  • Helps preserve endangered species
  • Helps increase ecosystem biodiversity
  • Meadows help slow coastal erosion

Support seagrass now!

Help us plant more carbon-locking seagrass by donating to The Climate Project

Where do your funds go?

  • £5 buys a pair of work gloves

  • £10 buys 10 hessian planting sacks

  • £25 buys a seagrass seeder tool

  • £50 buys a pair of mud shoes to reduce trampling impact

  • £150 buys equipment to test water quality at site

  • £250 buys a seed maturation cage to overwinter the seeds

  • £1,000 buys a drone survey to monitor growth

So treating yourself to that new bit of kit this summer has never been for such a good cause! Don't forget to take your BMC membership details along to your nearest Cotswold Outdoor store for your 15% off. Then simply press, 'YES' on the card reader to round up your payment in Cotswold Outdoor right now to donate a small amount with ease to The Climate Project. Or donate directly to The Climate Project here.

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