SUSSEX BAY MARINE REWILDING PROJECT

  THE SUSSEX BAY REWILDING PROJECT LAUNCH IS SUPPORTED BY ADUR AND WORTHING DISTRICT COUNCILS - 13TH JUNE 2024

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Sussex Bay have teamed up with Blue Earth Futures to launch Sussex Bay at The Brighton Dome, Corn Exchange, on Thursday 13th June 2024, from 12pm. 

One of our roving reporters was in attendance to hear from the diverse cast of presentations. And they did not disappoint. Every speaker introduced a new aspect of the bays in Sussex, of which there are actually two major scallops along the section identified for some TLC.

We heard from the people behind the Sussex Bay movement, about the pioneering projects going on right now in the water, and from some familiar faces who found fame in and around that water.

In the evening, after the launch, the Blue Earth Futures event featured Sussex Bay in the broader context of the national and global blue economy. This was held in the same venue, with food and drinks available between events.

[Left] Ruth Anslow is one of the organisers, a speaker and adviser to the Sussex Bay project. [Right] Alinah Azadeh gave a presentation on the Sussex walk that is one of our favorites, more on the power of the seascape. If anyone treads this path, we feel sure they will appreciate how calming the ocean is, along the English Channel.

[Left] This was the PPT from Lewis Crathern, a champion kite surfer. Giving the audience a taste of flying on a surf board, using the power of the wind to make giant leaps into the air. [Right] Sam Zindel hosted the last of the afternoon sessions, making the audience shout loud to test the sound quality.

[Left] Dave Erasmus played some interesting sounds to the audience. Who, had to try to guess what was making the noises recorded underwater. [Right] A panel of experts answered questions from Sam Zindel, including: Caroline Price, San Fanshawe, Henri Brocklebank, Tom Willis and Kevin Richmond. All of the panelist explained their part is Sussex Bay and various projects from their perspective.

The beautiful Sussex seascape and its coastal waterways shape the land and the way we live. It’s a source of wellness and joy, recreation and enterprise for millions of people - and it makes this region special. Sussex Bay is a movement initiated by Adur & Worthing Councils on behalf of Sussex coastal local authorities, and powered by civic organisations, local businesses and people. We have a vision for 2050 where our seascape and rivers flourish, so that nature, people and local economy can thrive.

The 'Bay' project is externally funded by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Rewilding Britain. Sussex Bay collaborates with charities, the 11 Councils across Sussex Bay, including Eastbourne, Hastings and Seaford, NGOs and other types of organisations who often partner on external funding bids to help deliver conservation projects, without increasing council taxes.

The launch featured expert speakers on seascape strategy, investment in Blue Natural Capital and how humans can come together to make a real difference to nature's recovery, this is a pivotal moment in the future of our seascape as we launch the movement and open our £1m Crowdfunder campaign.

The vision for Sussex Bay is widely understood and supported, and work has continued at strategic and project levels during 2022 and 2023 with funding from Defra, Coast to Capital, MMO Fisheries & Seafood Scheme and others.

This generational challenge to restore our rivers, coast and sea requires the project to work at nature’s scale. Sussex Bay will work with all bodies, through highly open and collaborative communication, and effective formal partnership. We are currently working with the Crown Estate, Sussex local authorities, the Living Coast Biosphere, Greater Brighton Economic Board, Coast to Capital, Shoreham Port, Sussex Marine & Coastal Forum, Sussex Wildlife Trust and others to invite collaboration and alignment of goals. 

Adur & Worthing Councils commitment to carbon reduction (it declared a climate emergency in 2019), and subsequent Net Zero strategies acted as spur to consider the role of local nature recovery projects in the Councils overall climate response. 

The opportunity for the Councils to play a broad role in enabling recovery at nature’s scale (not constrained to municipal boundaries) was clear to the joint administration, and Adur District Council made two key early land acquisitions (£1.2m) on the Adur River to show strong intent in the emerging field of ‘natural capital investment’ for nature recovery. 

The Councils were deeply inspired by two local projects with national and international reputations. The Knepp Estate which has rewilded 951 hectares of farmland and seen massive increases in wildlife and biodiversity, and secondly the work of the Sussex Inshore Fisheries Association to introduce a 300 km2 trawler exclusion zone off West Sussex to restore the decimated historic kelp forest.

SPEAKERS

WHAT IS MARINE REWILDING?

Rewilding Britain note the urgent need to reverse the catastrophic decline in marine biodiversity. Sea-based rewilding projects are far less common than those on land. The Blue Marine Foundation defines rewilding the sea as ​‘any effort to improve the health of the ocean by actively restoring habitats and species, or by leaving it alone to recover’. Man is the destroyer with ghost fishing nets, overfishing and bycatch. Then, there is marine plastic, glass fibers and chemical carcinogens.

COULD SUSSEX BAY BECOME A MARINE PARK?

We are watching the brilliant work at Plymouth, Jersey and elsewhere closely. Plymouth received funding of £9.5m to develop their Marine Park concept. What matters most at this stage is the development of partnership and public awareness raising, but it remains something of interest for the future.

Brighton Dome Corn Exchange & Studio Theatre
New Road
Brighton

East Sussex
BN1 1UG

For media enquiries, please contact Dean Spears: dean.spears@sussexbay.org.uk

THE CORN EXCHANGE, BRIGHTON DOME - Leo Perrin is the Youth Project Lead at the Cleaner Ocean Foundation - a not for profit R&D organisation. This is an amateur video of a short presentation given on the 13th of June 2024 about the 'green hydrogen' powered Elizabeth Swann - a zero carbon trimaran around 44 meters in length. Bristling with state of the art tech. This talk (only his second) was given at the launch of the 'Sussex Bay' re-wilding project, a brilliant initiative to conserve around 100 miles of Sussex coastline, supported by many authorities and like minded concerns. Please visit their website to learn more of this important work.

SUSSEX ONLINE NEWS 2 APRIL 2024 - £100K FUNDING FOR SUSSEX MARINE REWILDING PROJECT

A biodiversity boost from Selsey Bill to Camber Sands.

An ambitious collaborative project working to enable nature to take the lead across 100 miles of Sussex coastline is to be awarded £100k of funding from charity Rewilding Britain.

Sussex Bay, the organisation behind the project, has a vision for a healthy marine ecosystem for the Sussex Bay area, an extensive seascape that encompasses 100 miles of coastline from Selsey Bill to Camber Sands and is home to over 1 million residents.

Formed over the past two years from radical collaboration with over 200 groups, organisations, and partners – including local authorities, charities and diverse communities of residents and businesses – the project aims to create and deliver a pioneering seascape-scale strategy for the entire coastline.

Funding from Rewilding Britain, awarded as part of its annual Rewilding Challenge Fund, will enable Sussex Bay to accelerate its ambitions into 2025, increasing nature-led recovery of marine habitats already underway and creating opportunities for community engagement, employment, education and circular economy projects.

Jacques Villemot, Marine Rewilding Coordinator for Rewilding Britain, said: “The amazing habitats found in our oceans and coastlines – like kelp, oyster beds and saltmarsh – offer a myriad of benefits for wildlife, nature and people. They act as natural carbon stores, support diverse ecosystems of wildlife, improve water quality, act as a buffer to help protect coastlines from storm surges and provide invaluable resources and livelihoods to local communities.

“But, sadly, the majority of these habitats are heavily degraded or lost – 96% of the once extensive kelp beds in West Sussex have been lost since the 1980s. The Sussex Bay rewilding project is delivering on an urgent need to develop a seascape approach to help drive nature recovery at scale, considering a multitude of species and habitats whilst also creating and progressing opportunities for community engagement, enrichment of local economies and education. Rewilding Britain is delighted to be able to support this work and enable Sussex Bay’s rewilding ambitions to reach new heights.”

Funding awarded by Rewilding Britain will support Sussex Bay in its seascape strategy by enabling the appointment of a Science Lead to their Blue Natural Capital Lab project, along with contributing towards several pilot projects. The Science Lead will collaborate with the 200 groups operating projects along Sussex Bay to create a cohesive seascape framework.

The funding will also help develop several community enrichment initiatives including a work-experience tool-kit for those interested in working in the marine, rewilding and land management sectors, and a multi-discipline marine nature recovery programme for young people developed with partners including Weald to Waves and the Sussex Dolphin Project. Sussex Bay is also working with the Sussex Dolphin Project to enable students to complete training with Sussex Bay cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises).

Paul Brewer, Founder and Director of Sussex Bay, said: “We are absolutely delighted to reach this milestone, which was only possible with the support and encouragement from so many people across the region and further afield. There is so much incredible passion, commitment and practical effort across Sussex Bay, and we aim to help grow that further. Our seascapes deserve radical collaboration and action at a large scale, ensuring no one is left behind. Thank you Rewilding Britain for your support.”

Sussex Bay will be officially launching at an event in Brighton in June. Later that same evening, Sussex Bay will be partnering with Blue Earth Summit on their Futures series, shining a spotlight on the future of coastlines. Additionally, Sussex Bay will join a panel discussion at TedxBrighton, on 5 April 2024. More details about these events will be shared by Sussex Bay and partners in the next few weeks.

Sussex Bay is the second ever recipient of Rewilding Britain’s Rewilding Challenge Fund, launched in 2022. The first recipient, Kent Wildlife Trust, was awarded £100k in 2023 to scale up the Trust’s rewilding efforts within and beyond West Blean and Thornden Woods, the largest ancient woodland in southern England and home to the UK’s first reintroduced European bison.

https://sussexonlinenews.co.uk/2024/04/02/186882/

https://sussexonlinenews.co.uk/2024/04/02/186882/

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