Seagrass restoration in a bay of international conservation importance

在富营养化和气候变暖等人为因素的推动下，令人讨厌的大型藻华在全球范围内呈上升趋势。大型藻华一旦形成，就会对生物多样性、生态系统功能和舒适价值产生重大的负面影响。因此，人们越来越有兴趣确定和减少这些水华的影响，并制定可持续的方法来消除它们。诺森伯兰郡的林迪斯法恩国家自然保护区（Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve）具有重要的保护意义（SAC， SPA，以SSSI为基础，毗邻MCZ），但越来越多地受到机会性藻类的大量繁殖，例如，扩散的农业污染。由此产生的富营养化对该地点的主要保护特征之一潮间带海草草甸产生了负面影响。我们目前正在进行研究，以确定机会性巨藻对海草形态和生产力的影响，同时研究在不伤害海草的情况下可持续去除有害巨藻的方法。最后，我们也在试验海草恢复的方法，这些方法在英国其他地区被证明是成功的

Nuisance macroalgal blooms are on the rise globally, driven by anthropogenic drivers such as eutrophication and climate warming. Once established, macroalgal blooms can have significant negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and amenity value. As a consequence, there is increasing interest in identifying and reducing the impacts of these blooms and in developing sustainable methodologies to remove them. Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve in Northumberland is of significant conservation importance (SAC, SPA, underpinned by a SSSI, adjacent an MCZ), but is increasingly subjected to blooms of opportunistic algae driven by, for example, diffuse agricultural pollution. The resulting eutrophication is having a negative impact on one of the main conservation features of this site, intertidal Zostera seagrass meadows. We are currently undertaking research to determine the impacts of opportunistic macroalgae on seagrass morphology and productivity at the same time as investigating methods for the sustainable removal of nuisance macroalgae without harming seagrass. Finally, we are also trialling methods for seagrass restoration that have proven to be successful in other parts of the UK