Seagrass Conservation: Growing #GenerationRestoration in Europe

Seagrass conservation plays a critical role in maintaining planetary health. This presentation will explore this role, before turning to how the recently founded European Seagrass Restoration Alliance (ESRA) is seeking to overcome existing barriers to the conservation, restoration and re-establishment of European seagrass meadows by providing a platform for the ESRA community to collaborate and engage in knowledge exchange. ESRA was founded to meet noth the challenges and opportunities presented by UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the EU Nature Restoration Law. In order to deliver on current marine restoration ambitions, unprecedented transnational collaboration, and the rapid development and deployment of novel innovations will be required.

Dr Richard Lilley started his research career studying sustainable supply chain management in small-scale capture fisheries. Here, seafood supply chains – on which local food security depends – are reliant on healthy natural coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests.

Becoming fascinated by the critical importance of seagrass meadows in particular, as both havens for biodiversity and nursery grounds for many commercially important fish species, Richard first cofounded a UK NGO called Project Seagrass (2013), before turning his attention to scaling up seagrass restoration in Europe (2024).

The 1-hour event will consist of a presentation followed by a Q&A with the tutor using questions provided by the live audience. The presentation will be recorded and made available through the marineLIVE blog alongside a write-up of the Q&A and any links to further info.

This event is a one-off and will not be repeated. If you can't attend the live event, you don't need to miss out. Book a space and once we've processed the event content after the live event you will be sent a link to the content online.

The 2025 marineLIVE webinar programme is part-funded through an Outreach Grant from the British Ecological Society.