Seawilding

Always Mindful of the World Around Us

Seawilding, based at Loch Craignish, Argyll, is the UK’s first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project. Their aim is to restore lost biodiversity, sequester carbon, and to create green jobs. They are pioneering low-cost, best-practice marine habitat restoration methodologies and empowering other coastal communities to do the same.

Loch Craignish has ten small seagrass meadows totalling approximately 5 hectare, and while these seem dense and healthy, they are isolated and fragmented. Yet, extensive surveys in the Loch, suggest there’s around 80 hectares of seabed ripe for restoration. The Seagrass Restoration Project aims to restore these 80 hectares to their former glory and revive the once thriving eco-system within the Loch.

The benefits of this programme will not only be felt in the Scottish and UK waters, but we are already seeing evidence that marine species are being reintroduced to waters as far as the Arctic.

What is seagrass?

Seagrass is an essential component of ocean biodiversity as it provides a thriving habitat for marine wildlife and is able to sequester carbon at up to 35 times the rate of rainforests.
In addition, unlike rainforests, seagrass has the ability to reproduce from just 18 months old, meaning once a single seed is planted, within this short period of time we can begin to see fascinating growth of meadows, on their way to becoming an interconnected eco-system.
This means, in the fight against the climate crisis, seagrass can play a key role in storing harmful carbon emissions away from our atmosphere.
92% of the world’s seagrass meadows have been destroyed by excessive dredging, harmful fishing practices and mass ocean pollution. This has meant that carbon, previously stored for centuries, has been released into the ocean and our atmosphere, only adding to the crisis we already face.
Now, Seawilding is tackling this problem by pioneering groundbreaking methodologies to replant seagrass at scale and restore lost biodiversity in the UK waters and beyond.
In the future, the positive impact of this work means that Loch Craignish’s seagrass meadows will grow from 1 hectare to an interconnected eco-system spanning a possible 80 hectares, with the positive impact of this work being seen as far as the Arctic.

The Europe Team at the Seawilding HQ in Scotland

Emily, Europe Assistant, hands on with extracting the seagrass seeds

Matt, Senior Africa Specialist, having a go at native oyster farming

The Africa Team at the Seawilding HQ in Scotland

Molly, Head of Europe, snorkelling amongst the seagrass in Loch Craignish

The True Travel Team exploring Loch Craignish in Scotland

Matt and Pete enjoying a boat tour around the Loch

Felix, Senior Africa Specialist, observing the wildlife of the Loch

Matt, Senior Africa Specialist, extracting seagrass seeds at the Seawilding HQ

The True Travel Team spreading native oysters throughout Loch Craignish

True Travel founder, Henry, and Seawilding founder, Danny, at the edge of Loch Craignish

The True Travel Team at the Seawilding HQ in Scotland

Emily and Molly enjoying the tour of Loch Craignish

Get Involved

Every single booking supports our charity foundation. Speak to our team to find out more about how you can get involved in our community, culture and conservation initiatives.