Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to restore (a) saltmarshes, (b) native oyster reefs and (c) seagrass meadows in the UK.

The Government recognises that protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing coastal and marine habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reefs can provide benefits for society, biodiversity and climate adaptation, as well as for carbon sequestration.

We are working to protect these habitats, including through the Marine Protected Area network, which already contains the majority of saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in the UK. A number of estuarine and coastal habitat restoration initiatives are also underway including the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative which aims to reverse centuries of coastal habitat decline by restoring seagrass meadows, saltmarsh and native oyster reefs to bring benefits to people and nature. The Environment Agency’s restoration handbooks and restoration potential maps are also a key tool to support restoration of coastal blue carbon habitats in the UK and beyond.

In addition, the Government’s £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund has supported a range of nature recovery projects across England, some which have included saltmarsh and seagrass restoration.