Sea rewilding

Environmental conservation activity

Sea otters are a keystone species needed to control the population of sea urchins which makes their reintroduction to the Pacific coast of Canada a successful case of rewilding.[1]

Sea rewilding (also known as marine rewilding) is an environmental conservation process involving rewilding, restoring organisms and ecosystems to their natural states. Sea rewilding projects have been undertaken throughout the world and have involved efforts to repopulate a wide range of organisms, including giant clams, sharks, skates, sea sturgeons, and many other species.[2] Rewilding marine and coastal ecosystems offer potential ways to mitigate climate change and sequester carbon.[3][4] Sea rewilding projects are currently less common than those focusing on rewilding land, and seas are under increasing stress from the blue economy – commercial activities which put additional stress on the marine environment.[5] Rewilding projects undertaken near coastal communities can economically benefit local businesses as well as individuals and communities a whole.[6]

## Overview

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Sea rewilding aims to create conditions where a marine ecosystem is able to recover from prior damage and stressors so that it may thrive independently over time. Activities to facilitate this process include species reintroduction and replenishing, i.e. of oysters, kelp, and seagrass beds.[7] Sea rewilding aids in combating the climate crisis by capturing carbon dioxide, supporting local economies with ecotourism, reversing biodiversity loss, and improving health and well being by providing restored natural landscapes, clean air, water, and healthy soil.[8]

## Current projects

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### Seagrass

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Seagrass at La Ciotat, France

Seagrass meadows store carbon dioxide. More than 90% of the United Kingdom's historic seagrass meadows have been lost since the 1930s.[9][10][11] Restoring meadows could offset carbon emissions and provide habitat for numerous fish and shellfish species.[12] Research into seagrass, which covers about one percent of the sea floor suggests that it may be delivering 15–18% of carbon storage in the ocean.[13][14] Meadows have been declining since the 1930s and are being lost at an alarming rate.[15] Due to their scarcity they have been designated a UK habitat of principal importance.[16] In the United States, a project at Chesapeake Bay is considered a success.[17]

### Native oysters

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Oyster beds

Oysters filter water, recycle nutrients and help to protect against coastal erosion.[18] Oyster stocks have declined by 95 per cent in Europe due to over-harvesting, habitat loss, pollution and disease.[19][18]

In Rhode Island, US, "wild oyster populations are at an all-time low", according to Eric Schneider, the principal marine biologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Division of Marine Fisheries. He also states that "oysters provide a number of essential ecosystem services, from water filtration to fish habitat and shoreline protection. By having oyster reef habitat absent from these systems, those services can be significantly depressed."[18]

It has been demonstrated that restoring historic oyster beds improves water quality.[20]

### Kelp forests

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Kelp forest at the Taranga pinnacles of the Hen and Chicken Islands, New Zealand

Kelp forests are important habitats which have been lost over time in coastal waters.[21][22] Kelp forests provide habitat for fish, protect coastlines from erosion and trap carbon dioxide from the ocean. They grow quickly and absorb large amounts of carbon.[23] Restoring kelp forests is a strategy to address climate change and enrich ocean species.[24]

## Marine protected areas

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Marine protected areas are areas protected from certain human activities. They are used to preserve and conserve areas where marine life has been disrupted or disturbed. Such disturbances could be overfishing, ocean pollution, and other similar disturbances.

In Chile, environmental groups such as Rewilding Chile are campaigning to create new protected areas.[25]

In China, the Huidong Sea Turtle National Reserve opened the country's first sea turtle rewilding facility.[26]

## Carbon capture

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Rewilding the sea has been described as "the new way to capture carbon".[27]

## Organizations

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* Seawilding, a Scottish charity work with communities[14][28]
* NatureScot
* Rewilding Britain

## See also

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* Rewilding
* Salmon conservation
* Blue carbon
* Reef burials

## References

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1. ^ Gregr, Edward (7 July 2021). "Sea otters: how welcome should a recovering top predator be?". TheScienceBreaker. 07 (3). doi:10.25250/thescbr.brk563. ISSN 2571-9262. S2CID 237986623.
2. ^ "A drop in the ocean: rewilding the seas". The Guardian. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
3. ^ "Reports". Blue Marine Foundation. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
4. ^ "COP 26: Ocean action is climate action and the time to act is now!". Seas at Risk. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
5. ^ "Ocean protection and Marine Directive review: past present future. Interview with Monica Verbeek, Executive Director of Seas At Risk". Seas at Risk. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
6. ^ "Marine Ecosystem Rewilding: The Missing Link to Our Climate Strategy".
7. ^ "Pioneering Scottish marine rewilding initiative joins the European Rewilding Network". Rewilding Europe. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
8. ^ "Why we need rewilding". Rewilding Britain. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
9. ^ Green, Alix Evelyn (28 July 2020). Assessing the impact of environmental pressures on seagrass Blue Carbon stocks in the British Isles (Doctoral thesis). UCL (University College London).
10. ^ "Advancing the conservation of seagrass through education influence research and action". Project Seagrass. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
11. ^ "Rewilding Cornwall's seas: the challenges and opportunities of marine conservation work | Cornwall Wildlife Trust". www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
12. ^ Dickie, Mure (4 September 2021). "Coastal rewilding: restoring Scotland's seagrass meadows". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
13. ^ "Assessment of Blue Carbon Resources in Scotland's Inshore Marine Protected Area Network". NatureScot. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
14. ^ a b "The problem with blue carbon: can seagrass be replanted … by hand?". the Guardian. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
15. ^ "Out of the Blue: The Value of Seagrasses to the Environment and to People". UN Environment Programme. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
16. ^ "LIFE 3.0 – LIFE Project Public Page". European Commission LIFE public database. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
17. ^ Unsworth, Richard K. F.; Callaway, Ruth (6 November 2017). "How underwater gardening can rewild the Atlantic Ocean". The Conversation. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
18. ^ a b c "Helping Oyster Growers and Marine Ecosystems in Rhode Island". Farmers.gov. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
19. ^ "Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative". Essex Native Oysters. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
20. ^ "Restoring oysters on the Humber". The Wildlife Trusts. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
21. ^ "Sussex Kelp Restoration Project". Sussex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
22. ^ "Paradigm Shift On How To Restore Kelp Forests". Sea Trees. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
23. ^ "Plantwatch: kelp – forgotten forests that help tackle climate crisis". The Guardian. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
24. ^ "Kelp Forest Restoration Project". The Bay Foundation. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
25. ^ "Marine Program". Fundación Rewilding Chile. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
26. ^ 郭凯. "China opens its first sea turtle rewilding facility". global.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
27. ^ "Rewilding the sea is the new way to capture carbon, says Eustice". Blue Marine Foundation. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
28. ^ "Seawilding – an entity, and an idea that was born out of the hopes, aspirations and motivations of a community association called CROMACH". UN Decade on Restoration. Retrieved 17 January 2022.

## Further reading

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* Clover, Charles (9 June 2022). Rewilding the Sea. Penguin Books.

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