The Helford River has seen a glimmer of green hope. For the first time in over 40 years, native intertidal seagrass has successfully regrown in its waters—thanks to the collaborative efforts of Seasalt and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, now in their fourth year of the Seeding Change Together project. 

This pioneering initiative is exploring low-carbon, low-cost methods to restore seagrass habitats in Cornwall’s estuaries – ecosystems vital to ocean health.  

Intertidal seagrass meadows are fantastic at storing carbon. Data suggests they can capture carbon up to 35 times faster than some tropical rainforests, as well as providing nursery grounds for marine life, and helping to purify the water. Research has shown that these muddy estuarine seagrass beds hold up to four times more carbon than those that are found in deeper waters.  

Sadly, over the past 50 years we have lost 92% of our seagrass beds nationally, with the biggest losses being intertidal seagrass beds in our estuaries.   Cornwall Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Seasalt Cornwall, is on a mission to restore our local intertidal seagrass meadows. 

Over the past three years, Seasalt Cornwall has funded the project which has enabled the trailing of several different methods of replanting intertidal seagrass on the Fal-Ruan and Helford estuaries.  

Last autumn, the project team, led by Chloe James, collected native seagrass seeds from the Tamar Estuary. With support from the Environment Agency, Restoring Meadow Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) and local landowners, including the Duchy of Cornwall these seeds were planted at a newly identified site on the Helford River – a place where seagrass had disappeared decades ago. This spring, those seeds sprouted. For a brief but significant moment, seagrass grew again in the Helford. 

“This was a huge milestone,” said Chloe James, Seagrass Project Officer. “Seeing the seagrass return, even temporarily, was a moment of real hope—for the river, for our team, and for Cornwall’s marine ecosystems.” 

However, that hope was quickly tempered. A sudden seaweed bloom – likely driven by warmer water, sunshine and high levels of nutrients – smothered the new growth. While disappointing, the setback has yielded valuable insights. 

“Every outcome is a lesson,” Chloe continued. “Understanding what caused the algal bloom is now one of our top priorities. We’re learning, adapting, and growing – just like the seagrass.” 

The team is already scouting new estuarine sites across Cornwall that could support future seagrass regeneration. This project isn’t about restoring one location; it’s about building a long-term plan to revive this critical coastal habitat. 

“Seagrass is a powerhouse,” said Matt Slater, Marine Conservation Officer at Cornwall Wildlife Trust. “It supports wildlife, locks in carbon, and improves water quality. Even though this planting didn’t survive, the fact that it grew at all means we’re on the right track.” 

Though the seagrass didn’t last, it grew. And with that, so does the project team’s knowledge, hope, and determination to bring it back for good. 

Our seagrass restoration work is made possible thanks to funding from the following organisations. Thank you for your support.