In a second blog about our work for healthy seas, Esmée’s Funding Manager, Morven Robertson, highlights some of the projects we’re supporting through our space for nature priority – from large scale marine and coastal restoration and attracting the finance needed for it, to coastal communities taking action, and improving the diversity of the marine sector.
- Read our blog about our work towards our fishing in tandem with nature priority
- See an infographic with an overview of our support towards healthy seas so far
The UK’s coastline is home to some of the world’s richest habitats. Seagrass meadows, kelp forests, saltmarshes and rocky reefs are biodiversity hotspots and significant carbon stores, as well as providing many ecosystem services such as improved water quality, coastal protection and a myriad of recreation and wellbeing benefits. In our last blog we talked about the importance of campaigns holding government to account to protect the UK’s extensive marine protected area network that cover many of these vital habitats. However, to address the scale of decline, we also need fundamental changes to the way we use and value the sea, and in who gets to shape its management.
Coastal communities taking action
In recent years there has been a surge in interest to restore marine habitats with a focus on two strategies: human intervention to initiate or accelerate the recovery of species and habitats; and removing existing pressures and allowing marine habitats to recovery naturally. Seawilding, for example, has pioneered community-led restoration across a network of sea lochs in Scotland. In Loch Craignish, they developed best-practice, low-cost methodologies to reseed the seabed with native oysters and seagrass. Working with the community, Seawilding has developed a ‘how-to’ practical guide to support other coastal communities to take a community-led approach to marine restoration. Opportunities for people to connect and engage with the marine environment through projects like this demonstrate how coastal communities benefit from having an active role in managing marine resources.
The growing recognition of the value of bottom-up approaches is reshaping the marine conservation landscape in Scotland. Traditionally, marine conservation efforts in Scotland have been characterised by top-down approaches, with government-led initiatives playing a dominant role. The Coastal Communities Network (CCN), comprising of 30 member communities, demonstrates the appetite from communities to take action and contribute to the protection and management of Scotland’s seas. Over the last 12 months, CCN has worked to explore what community-led marine management could look like. Many are already taking the initiative in their local areas but lack sustained funding, access to guidance and sufficient knowledge sharing; and face significant bureaucratic and legislative challenges as community-driven conservation is not yet widely supported in Scotland.
In 2025 and beyond, we want to continue support to communities taking action on their doorstep and explore opportunities to pilot community-led management at sea.
Seascape restoration at scale
On land, we have supported large scale restoration projects to reconnect habitats such as the Caledonian Pine Forest Recovery Project. Led by Trees for Life, the project is working with multiple landowners with different economic and financial drivers to restore this important and threatened habitat. In 2023, we also launched Blue Spaces, a development programme focused on involving communities in river restoration.
Recently, there has been a growing effort to emulate this approach in a marine context – known as seascape restoration. To reconnect and repair marine ecosystems at scale, large partnerships comprised of communities, scientists, NGOs, fishers and other marine users, as well as government, are needed. Efforts so far have faced challenges in scaling up including licensing costs and regulation, lack of knowledge and expertise, funding and pervasive issues such as pollution and damaging activities. In response to this, we are exploring how best to support seascape restoration and are in the process of developing a similar programme to Blue Spaces. To inform the programme, we are conducting interviews with the sector and gathering learning from active projects including understanding what we can learn from projects on land. We want this reflection and learning to be useful to the wider sector and will be co-hosting a seascape webinar series in partnership with Ocean and Coastal Futures and the Environment Agency as part of their Restoring Meadow, Marsh, and Reef programme. The first in the series of online webinars is scheduled for 11 February.
Recognising that some of our most important habitats and the pressures across land, coast and sea can only be managed by considering ecosystems together, we are also keen to join up with work in other Esmée priorities in Our Natural World to test wholescale nature recovery in the UK. The Findhorn Watershed Initiative is a great example of a true source-to-sea approach.
Marine planning and cross-sector collaboration is playing an ever-critical role in delivering large scale ocean recovery. The recognition of the impact and potential contribution of other industries to the recovery of marine ecosystems is important as UK seas become increasingly crowded. Projects that seek to understand and establish policy frameworks for rapidly expanding activities such as offshore wind and work by organisations such as The Wildlife Trusts are ensuring expansion of offshore windfarms to reach the UK’s Net Zero targets does not happen at the expense of the marine environment.
Financing ocean recovery
Developing new ways of funding the environment is a cross-cutting theme for our work in Our Natural World. It’s estimated a minimum £43 billion of private investment is needed by 2030 just to meet existing Government targets on nature recovery in the UK. The role of the ocean in fighting the climate crisis is significant. It’s estimated the UK’s seagrasses, muds, sands and saltmarshes alone capture more carbon dioxide than the UK’s woodlands. Despite this, the ocean is one of the least funded of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with just 1% of global climate finance spent on the ocean. In response to this, we have initiated an informal marine funders group for the UK, which we hope to build and formalise in 2025, creating opportunities for greater funder collaboration and support for the sector.
Despite the pressing need for ocean recovery finance, we still don’t have the evidence we need to underpin investment in ocean-based solutions and globally, there has been a significant lack of existing or scalable mechanisms to incentivise or mandate the private sector. To address this, we have worked with Finance Earth, The Crown Estate, Blue Marine Foundation, Crown Estate Scotland and other partners to develop a High Integrity Marine Natural Capital framework for the UK. In May, the partnership released a first-of-its-kind roadmap setting out steps to unlock vital investment in the protection and restoration of marine and coastal habitats.
We want to learn from existing projects including initiatives considering how funding can be generated at a seascape scale around the UK’s coasts. One such example is Sussex Bay, a pioneering partnership hosted by Adur & Worthing Council, with a vision for 100 miles of coastline where the seascape and rivers flourish, and a healthy blue ecosystem exists where nature, people and the local economy can thrive. Establishing the UK's first ‘Blue Natural Capital Lab’, Sussex Bay is co-producing a regional seascape strategy, engaging communities across 11 council areas, local businesses, and working with hundreds of partners across academia, regulatory, scientific, political, charitable, and commercial. Its mission to recover nature at scale and generate a £50m fund for nature-led recovery by 2050, is accompanied by a drive for social inclusion, “good growth” and a just transition for all. They are also working hard to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion is embedded in all that they do.
Connecting people to the sea and increasing diversity in decision-making
Around 10% of the UK’s population live in coastal towns and cities – places on the frontline of climate change that often face distinct regeneration challenges. In Scotland, more than half the population live by the sea. Low rates of employment, ageing populations and higher levels of deprivation are common characteristics of coastal communities. Despite being an ocean nation, many communities across the UK face barriers to connecting with the sea. In 2019 Plymouth Sound National Marine Park became the UK’s first self-designated National Marine Park. 17% of children in Plymouth have never visited a beach. Barriers to access mean many are unaware of the pressure the sea faces and the need for collective action to restore it.
We want to support work that increases ocean literacy and opportunities for people, particularly those from underrepresented and marginalised groups, to access, engage with, and benefit from the UK’s coasts and seas. Campaign for National Parks’ National Marine Parks campaign hopes to secure a network of Marine Parks across the UK to revolutionise how the public views the ocean, enhance people’s access and enjoyment, and revitalise coastal communities. If delivered, Marine Parks could provide incredible and accessible ways for people to engage with, enjoy and benefit from our seas and coasts.
There is also a need for new models that engage communities early and effectively in shaping marine environmental policies. The Scottish Wildlife Trust has been working to increase participation of local communities in marine decision-making. Building on their Oceans of Value work, they will work with a network of local partners across Scotland including North Harris Trust, Wild about Argyll and other organisations linked to the Coastal Communities Network, to engage underrepresented groups and areas where ocean literacy and engagement will have a high impact. Their Sea the Connection project will seek input from disabled people, racially minoritised communities, non-graduates, those renting from a council or housing association or living in urban areas, and those living in the most deprived areas. With 2025 set to be a bumper year for consultation on Scotland’s marine management with consultations on inshore fisheries, MPAs and the National Marine Plan 2, there is a huge opportunity to explore how new voices can be brought into the discussion and increase diversity in decision-making in Scotland. These participatory models of consultation with communities could provide a model for other devolved nations.
Tackling the lack of diversity in the marine sector
At Esmée, we recognise the climate and nature crises will not be addressed adequately without also tackling social injustice and inequity. This includes tackling the lack of diversity in the marine and coastal sector and incorporating the perspectives and energy of underrepresented groups, so the full spectrum of solutions can be heard.
Over the last two years, we have partnered with Ocean and Coastal Futures (OCF) to better understand the barriers and opportunities to increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the sector. In May, OCF published an Ethnic Diversity in the Marine and Coastal Sector – Accelerating Change report. We are actively seeking opportunities to build on the report and deliver the recommendations. As part of this, we made our first grant to a 'led by and for' Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) marine organisation in the UK, Black Ocean Citizens (BLOC). BLOC is part of our New Connections programme, a ringfenced fund for funding and supporting organisations who could not, or would not, usually apply to Esmée.
OCF’s report is part of a series of work we are supporting to drive greater action on DEI in the sector. This includes an Ocean Justice webinar series taking place over the next two years. The first held in November focused on why equity, diversity and inclusion matter in the marine and coastal sectors and brought together a panel including Surfers Against Sewage and The Marine Conservation Society. Upcoming sessions include Ocean Justice and Social Mobility, queer ecology and decolonising the ocean sector.
Amplifying the representation and voices of young people
We have also considered what more we can do to increase representation of young people in the marine sector. A survey of young people across Scotland found that despite 79% agreeing that Scotland’s seas should be protected, 46% reported not feeling informed about the issues affecting Scotland’s seas. The same survey found that the majority of young people, unsurprisingly, did not believe their views were well represented in decision-making. Young Sea Changers Scotland was set up in 2023 to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to shape marine policy in Scotland.
The Coastal Futures bursary scheme is another example of steps we have taken to provide opportunities to young people who are currently underrepresented in the marine and coastal sector and/or face financial barriers to engage in the sector. In 2024, seven young people received bursaries and we are supporting a further 12 at the 2025 conference in January.
All of this work hopes to increase representation in the marine and coastal sector. But we want to do more – if you have any ideas, do get in touch at the email below.
Let us know what you think
As always, we welcome feedback on our work. If you’d like to share your thoughts or have a question, send us an email to communications@esmeefairbairn.org.uk.
