Partners

The Solent Seascape Project is a partnership of the ten organisations below, led by Blue Marine Foundation.

Our holistic restoration approach involves working with locally based partners to understand and meet the needs of communities across the Solent, ultimately reconnecting people and nature. In doing so, we aim to catalyse long-term seascape restoration efforts that directly benefit and are led by the community.

The partnership consists of the following official partners: Blue Marine Foundation, Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB), Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT), University of Portsmouth, Isle of Wight Estuaries Project, Coastal Partners, Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature (CHaPRoN), Natural England, Environment Agency and Project Seagrass.

Blue Marine Foundation is a marine protection and conservation charity that aims to restore healthy oceans for all. Blue Marine is working with partners to actively restore 4 hectares of oyster reef connected to nearby seagrass, saltmarsh and seabird habitats. We are also responsible for co-ordinating the Solent Seascape Project partnership and overseeing this ambitious, collaborative initiative to revive the Solent.

CHaPRoN (Chichester Harbour Protection and Recovery of Nature) is a partnership initiative led by Chichester Harbour Conservancy. The key objective is to protect, enhance and drive recovery of the natural environment within Chichester Harbour creating a landscape more resilient to climate change. The Solent Seascape Project is supporting CHaPRoN’s aims to restore saltmarsh, seagrass, marine bird and native oyster habitats across the harbour.

Coastal Partners’ vision is to manage coastlines, improve community resilience and enhance the natural environment. Our core role is to deliver schemes that reduce the risk of coastal flooding and erosion to people, and the developed and natural environment. Through our works, we have the opportunity to improve the coastal environment and are pleased to be working with the Solent Seascape Partnership to restore saltmarsh habitat, a key element of the internationally important mosaic of habitats within the Solent.

The Environment Agency ambition is to achieve a cleaner, greener and healthier future. We do this by: creating more climate resilient places and infrastructure; improving the health of air, land and water for people and nature; ensuring green growth for a sustainable future. We support the Solent Seascape Project by providing funding, technical support, data and information, and general guidance.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works to protect wildlife through conversation efforts and engaging local communities to inspire people and bring about change. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust will be leading on the community engagement for the partnership, informing and working with communities to help reduce the pressures on endangered marine habitats through behavioural change science and education. They will also be working on restoration efforts to bring seagrass meadows back from the brink and help them to once again flourish in the Solent.

The Isle of Wight Estuaries Partnership promotes the sustainable use of the Island’s estuaries and coast for nature and people. It is working with the Solent Seascape Project to improve the resilience of saltmarsh through adaptation and restoration, with the information resulting from our small-scale trials helping to guide similar projects around the UK. It is also assisting the Solent Seascape Project with seagrass and oyster restoration around the Isle of Wight.

Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment. Our remit is to ensure sustainable stewardship of the land and sea so that people and nature can thrive, adapt and survive intact for future generations to enjoy. Natural England is working with partners to create seabird nesting habitat at North Solent National Nature Reserve. We also provide specialist advice on all aspects of the project including licencing, conservation and restoration management, particularly with regards to the protected sites in the Solent.

Project Seagrass is a global-facing marine conservation organisation securing a future for seagrass through research, community and action. Project Seagrass is working with partners of the Solent Seascape Project to plant seagrass over 3 hectares across the Isle of Wight.

The RSPB is the largest Nature Conservation Charity in the country dedicated to protecting habitats, saving species and helping to end the nature and climate emergency. We’re forging powerful new partnerships with other organisations and inspiring others to stand up and give nature the home it deserves. Within the Solent Seascape Project, we’re delivering leadership and support on restoring the Solent’s seabird colonies and monitoring their population.

The University of Portsmouth and the Institute of Marine Sciences plays a key role within the Solent Seascape Project, leading the comprehensive biodiversity monitoring efforts. We are assessing species diversity, calculating carbon storage potential, monitoring water quality and nutrient levels as well as evaluating ecosystem connectivity. We will continuously measure the overall health and biodiversity of the restored habitats, contributing invaluable data for the project’s conservation and restoration goals.