Boaters across the Solent area are being urged to respond to a wildlife trust survey which aims to gather information about boating and its impact on seagrass meadows.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust launched a survey to learn about the impact of mooring and anchoring practices on the “health” of the Solent’s marine seagrass meadows.
Seagrasses have a highly important role in tackling climate change as plants and meadows have the potential to retain and store huge amounts of carbon at a rate 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, making them one of the most important natural solutions to the climate change crisis.
Emily Stroud, senior engagement officer (Solent Seascape) at the trust, said that traditional anchoring and mooring systems can damage the Solent’s “delicate” seagrass meadows.
She said:
“The Solent Boating Survey is vital in helping us understand the mindsets and motivations regarding how boats are secured in and around these precious habitats.
“The views and actions of boaters will ultimately help guide us in developing conservation strategies, with boating communities, that protect these important habitats whilst safeguarding community values.”
Therefore, the organisation is asking boaters who regularly navigate in the Solent, including those on sail and motor yachts, dinghies, powerboats, RIBs, and personal watercraft, to take the survey.
Figures shoow the UK has lost around 90 per cent of its seagrass meadows, half of which have disappeared in the past three decades.
Currently, the trust, alongside the Solent Seascape Project and Solent Seagrass Restoration Project, works to restore seagrass habitats in the Solent to their historical levels.
The survey closes on December 31. If you wish to fill it out, you can do so here.
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