From seeds to seascapes: Ragus learns how Project Seagrass is scaling up restoration 

Ragus ESG Manager Henry Eastick visited Pendine Sands in Wales for a Funders and Partners open day hosted by sustainability charity partner Project Seagrass. The visit showcased the charity’s expanding nursery, pioneering restoration trials and collaborative network – all pointing towards large-scale impact on seagrass conservation across the UK. 

In this article, I will share the story of my latest visit to Project Seagrass to discover progress at the Project Seagrass Nursery. 

Project Seagrass invited Ragus and other supporters to its nursery near Pendine Sands in Wales for a Funders and Partners open day. The event was an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in recent years and to highlight the scale of current seagrass restoration and research work underway. 

We were given a tour of the facility to see first-hand how Project Seagrass has evolved from early trials to a sophisticated operation. The Project Seagrass team demonstrated a range of activities, from seed propagation and outdoor pool testing to the use of environmental monitoring tools such as ‘Hobo’ loggers for light and temperature measurements. 

The day also featured insights from staff and volunteers on the challenges and breakthroughs of restoring seagrass meadows in coastal ecosystems. 

Over the past two years, the nursery has quadrupled in size, with three new polytunnels added to support seed production. These are already delivering results, increasing output from 1m seeds to 2m annually. Outdoor testing ponds – a new feature since my last visit – have also proved successful, enabling Project Seagrass to simulate natural habitats and encourage biodiversity, including previously absent organisms. 

Other key upgrades include an expanded seed storage facility planned to arrive later in 2025, which will double capacity to 2m seeds to accommodate vastly increased seed production, and a new barn space for classroom activities and operations. Most excitingly, the seagrass now growing in the nursery is the second generation of plants established from previous cycles – a milestone in long-term propagation success. 

Project Seagrass’s work is entering a new phase of ambition. Outdoor lagoon-scale planting is now being scoped, with the aim of scaling up restoration across more sites in Wales and Scotland. The team continues to explore whether filling gaps in existing meadows or planting new ones is the most effective approach, based on many years of testing and data analysis. 

Collaboration remains at the heart of the charity’s mission. A global network of over 200 seagrass research, charities, restoration and nursery groups is helping to standardise best practices, with a new handbook in development to share learnings. 

Local communities that once had concerns about possible disruption from restoration efforts are now among the strongest protectors of the seagrass meadows. It has taken six years for Project Seagrass to integrate fully with its local community.  

New eco-jobs, university research collaborations and partnerships with organisations like Salax, Kew Gardens and WWF underline the programme’s growing national and international reach. 

Ragus is proud to be a bronze sponsor of Project Seagrass and looks forward to supporting its next phase of growth. 

This was a successful day sharing progress with its supporters for Project Seagrass. As the marine conservation charity continues its important work, Ragus will be there to support it. Learn more about Ragus’ charity activities via our charity work page or follow our LinkedIn charity and community page.