Our South Coast is at a critical moment. There is established evidence of the widespread declines of marine nature and the livelihoods it has traditionally supported, alongside proven methods for how to restore these and growing public appetite to do so. However, despite extensive protections on paper, a failure to resource and implement these properly means marine nature is not recovering at the scale or pace needed. Efforts remain fragmented, pressures continue to impact our marine life, while governance, management and actions are not yet aligned to deliver meaningful recovery.

Our vision is to build a connected movement for marine recovery along the entire length of England’s South Coast, for wildlife, for people and for our seas.

Marine Recovery means restoring the richness and abundance of life in our seas, strengthening their resilience and delivering societal benefits. Marine Recovery will support a more sustainable maritime economy, cleaner seas and beaches, and greater protections for our oceans, alongside stronger connections between people and nature, improved health and wellbeing, and new opportunities for coastal communities.

For Britain’s seas to recover and truly thrive again, we need bold ideas, big ambition and local communities at the forefront of how we plan and deliver change. We want to reduce the pressures harming our seas, and help more people to understand and value marine nature, and play an active role in its restoration. Everything in the sea is connected – from the native oyster and mussel reefs and kelp forests to the fish, birds and mammals that depend on them. That means we have to work at a seascape-level if we want real, lasting change.

And that’s what the South Coast Marine Recovery Project Development aims to do. Wildlife Trusts across Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight and Sussex, supported by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), are joining forces to develop a project that will deliver meaningful action for our seas right across the region. A 15-month development phase is taking place from January 2026 – March 2027. This phase will see the Wildlife Trusts working closely with regulators, the fishing industry, local authorities and coastal communities to co-create a shared vision of a healthy, thriving south coast, and a plan for how we achieve that.

To enable marine recovery at scale across the South Coast, we must create the conditions for nature to thrive. This means building a partnership that will work to reduce widespread pressures, tackling them at point of origin, whether on land or at sea, and ensuring that local actions drive collective impact. Together, we will work to improve how we understand and value marine wildlife, and strengthen the evidence needed to inform effective action. We will connect communities, partners and decision-makers to align efforts, share knowledge, provide a consistent voice for our seas, hold governments to account, and take practical and coordinated actions which benefit nature. And by linking the health of our South Coast to wider benefits for people, we will support a stronger foundation for long-term stewardship of more resilient and nature-rich seas into the future.