Home / Environment / Orkney Locals Reveal Hidden Marine Meadows
Orkney Locals Reveal Hidden Marine Meadows
6 Jul
Summary
- Community memory mapping uncovered previously unknown seagrass meadows.
- Up to 92 percent of Britain's seagrass has been lost historically.
- Restoration priority sites were identified using local ecological knowledge.
Seagrass meadows, vital for fisheries and carbon storage, have seen up to 92 percent loss in British waters. A recent study on Sanday, Orkney, employed participatory mapping, blending community memory with ecological research. This approach uncovered two seagrass meadows previously absent from scientific models.
Researchers also identified three priority sites for potential restoration efforts. These findings underscore that local knowledge can fill critical gaps in scientific data, leading to more effective marine spatial planning.
While seagrass plays a crucial role in marine biodiversity and coastal resilience, its decline has been substantial. The Sanday research highlights the value of integrating sociocultural knowledge with traditional biophysical data for successful conservation.
Three specific sites—Otterswick, Backaskaill Bay, and Kettletoft Bay—have been proposed for restoration. This collaborative, transdisciplinary mapping approach could significantly improve future seagrass restoration projects across the UK and beyond.
