As well as collecting and planting seed with local community groups, this ambitious project is trialling more experimental approaches such as transplanting seagrass with sediment (coring) and mechanised planting. The vision of Wilder Firths (Linneachan nas Fhiadhaiche) is for the firths surrounding the Black Isle to be home to a resilient mosaic of biogenic habitats that support diverse and thriving ecosystems. Central to achieving and sustaining this vision are local communities that are connected to and invested in their coastal environment. The initiative is led by Mossy Earth and their locally based team.
Seagrass species in the area are dwarf eelgrass (Nanozostera noltei), common eelgrass (Zostera marina) and beaked tasselweed (Ruppia maritima).
Following extensive baseline and investigative surveys and trial seagrass translocations undertaken in 2024 supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), managed by NatureScot, the delivery of planting 4.2 hectares of intertidal seagrass meadow over three years will be supported by SMEEF.
This three-year project, supported by the SMEEF Seagrass Meadows Scotland programme has successfully begun its seagrass planting journey. Following extensive baseline surveying, the team has identified suitable donor meadows and restoration sites around the Black Isle. With local members of the community helping to collect seeds, the team has begun transplanting seagrass using the ‘coring’ method with 0.5ha planted in 2025.
SMEEF has been able to commit to a grant of £544,558 to support this work between 2025-28 using resources donated by SSEN Distribution to SMEEF.