Biology:Sea rewilding

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Short description: 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

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

Seagrass

Long wide leaved grass under clear light blue water
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

Green grass marsh with oyster beds and water in the foreground
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

Large light green fronds under water
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

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

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

Organizations

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gregr, Edward (2021-07-07). "Sea otters: how welcome should a recovering top predator be?" (in en). TheScienceBreaker 07 (3). doi:10.25250/thescbr.brk563. ISSN 2571-9262. https://www.thesciencebreaker.org/breaks/evolution-behaviour/sea-otters-how-welcome-should-a-recovering-top-predator-be. 
  2. ↑ "A drop in the ocean: rewilding the seas" (in en). 2021-07-04. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/04/rewilding-the-seas-overfishing-oceans. 
  3. ↑ "Reports" (in en-US). https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/about/reports/. 
  4. ↑ "COP 26: Ocean action is climate action and the time to act is now!" (in en). 2021-11-02. https://seas-at-risk.org/. 
  5. ↑ "Ocean protection and Marine Directive review: past present future. Interview with Monica Verbeek, Executive Director of Seas At Risk" (in en). 2021-12-21. https://seas-at-risk.org/. 
  6. ↑ "Marine Ecosystem Rewilding: The Missing Link to Our Climate Strategy". https://www.mossy.earth/rewilding-knowledge/marine-rewilding. 
  7. ↑ "Pioneering Scottish marine rewilding initiative joins the European Rewilding Network" (in en-GB). 2022-08-03. https://rewildingeurope.com/news/pioneering-scottish-marine-rewilding-initiative-joins-the-european-rewilding-network/. 
  8. ↑ "Why we need rewilding" (in en). https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/benefits-of-rewilding/why-we-need-rewilding. 
  9. ↑ Green, Alix Evelyn (2020-07-28). 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" (in en). https://www.projectseagrass.org/seagrass-ocean-rescue/. 
  11. ↑ "Rewilding Cornwall's seas: the challenges and opportunities of marine conservation work | Cornwall Wildlife Trust" (in en). 2022-07-28. https://www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/james-webb/rewilding-cornwalls-seas-challenges-and-opportunities-marine-conservation-work. 
  12. ↑ Dickie, Mure (2021-09-04). "Coastal rewilding: restoring Scotland's seagrass meadows". Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/cab65bda-005b-4186-8bda-1b5173155759. 
  13. ↑ "Assessment of Blue Carbon Resources in Scotland's Inshore Marine Protected Area Network" (in en). https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-commissioned-report-957-assessment-blue-carbon-resources-scotlands-inshore-marine. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "The problem with blue carbon: can seagrass be replanted … by hand?" (in en). 2021-11-05. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/05/seagrass-meadows-could-turn-tide-of-climate-crisis-aoe. 
  15. ↑ "Out of the Blue: The Value of Seagrasses to the Environment and to People" (in en). 2020-06-04. http://www.unep.org/resources/report/out-blue-value-seagrasses-environment-and-people. 
  16. ↑ "LIFE 3.0 – LIFE Project Public Page". https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=7321. 
  17. ↑ Unsworth, Richard K. F.; Callaway, Ruth (6 November 2017). "How underwater gardening can rewild the Atlantic Ocean" (in en). http://theconversation.com/how-underwater-gardening-can-rewild-the-atlantic-ocean-85794. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Helping Oyster Growers and Marine Ecosystems in Rhode Island" (in en). 2021-08-05. https://www.farmers.gov/blog/helping-oyster-growers-and-marine-ecosystems-in-rhode-island. 
  19. ↑ "Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative" (in en-GB). https://essexnativeoyster.com/. 
  20. ↑ "Restoring oysters on the Humber". 25 August 2020. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/blog/guest/restoring-oysters-humber. 
  21. ↑ "Sussex Kelp Restoration Project". https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/helpourkelp. 
  22. ↑ "Paradigm Shift On How To Restore Kelp Forests" (in en). 24 March 2021. https://sea-trees.org/blogs/in-the-news/paradigm-shift-on-how-to-restore-kelp-forests. 
  23. ↑ "Plantwatch: kelp – forgotten forests that help tackle climate crisis" (in en). 2020-03-17. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/mar/17/plantwatch-kelp-forgotten-forests-that-help-tackle-climate-crisis. 
  24. ↑ "Kelp Forest Restoration Project" (in en). https://www.santamonicabay.org/what-we-do/projects/kelp-forest-restoration-project/. 
  25. ↑ "Marine Program" (in en-US). https://www.rewildingchile.org/en/projects/marine-program/. 
  26. ↑ 郭凯. "China opens its first sea turtle rewilding facility". https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202009/11/WS5f5ae3f2a310f55b25a81f7e.html. 
  27. ↑ "Rewilding the sea is the new way to capture carbon, says Eustice" (in en-US). 2020-06-24. https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2020/06/24/rewilding-the-sea/. 
  28. ↑ "Seawilding – an entity, and an idea that was born out of the hopes, aspirations and motivations of a community association called CROMACH" (in en). http://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/seawilding-entity-and-idea-was-born-out-hopes-aspirations-and-motivations-community. 

Further reading



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