Cornwall 'wonder plant' project could aid climate fight

Restoring seagrass meadows could help in the fight against climate change says Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Thousands of seagrass seeds are to be planted off Cornwall to test the best conditions for growing it.

Seagrass is able to store carbon dioxide and Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) believes restoring it could help fight climate change.

The Seeding Change Together project will take place over three years at the Fal Ruan nature reserve.

Studying the "wonder-plant" will help understand the conditions that it needs to thrive, the CWT said.

Thousands of seeds will be planted by volunteers.

The CWT, with funding from clothing firm Seasalt, will survey and test the water to "understand the environmental conditions affecting the seagrass beds".

The project could also identify additional locations for seagrass restoration in the River Fal.

Matt Slater, CWT marine conservation officer, said: "Many people don't realise we have seagrass in our UK waters and, sadly, it doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

"But these underwater meadows are sometimes called the lungs of the sea because of their incredible ability to store massive amounts of carbon."