CHaPRoN and nine other environmental organisations working in the Solent region have been granted $5m to carry out a five-year project to restore some of the area’s endangered marine habitats.
The money has been awarded by the Endangered Landscapes Programme with a remit to restore seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, saltmarsh and seabird nesting habitat across the region as part of the Solent Seascape Project.
Our project partners are Blue Marine Foundation, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, RSPB, University of Portsmouth, Natural England, Project Seagrass, Coastal Partners, Isle of Wight Estuaries Project and Environment Agency.
The Solent is an internationally important wintering and breeding ground for seabirds and waterfowl. The mud and sand flats present in the region support seagrass and saltmarsh and the seabed was once home to the most important native oyster fishery in Europe. All of these habitats, like so many others globally, have become fragmented and degraded through anthropomorphic pressures including poor water quality, increased industrialisation and disturbance.