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Only three months since launching the #ProtectOurBeds campaign run by not-for-profit, Clean Sailors, the Ocean Conservation Trust and all-in-one boating navigation app, Savvy Navvy – has seen major contributors come forward expanding its global coverage.
From today seagrass data from the Channel Islands is live in the Savvy Navvy app, as the Bailiwick Eelgrass Exploration Project (BEEP) partners in Guernsey and Alderney and the Government of Jersey are amongst the first contributors to the campaign.
Dr Mel Broadhurst-Allen, Living Seas Coordinator of the Alderney Wildlife Trust, part of BEEP said: “We are thrilled to help develop this initiative with all the partners involved. The Savvy Navvy app provides a wonderful new platform for us to showcase our amazing Eelgrass beds and citizen science research. More importantly, it provides marine users the chance to anchor outside the beds, thus reducing any potential impacts upon these sensitive habitats.”
Seagrasses combat climate change by absorbing and storing huge amounts of carbon, but are estimated to be the fastest disappearing habitat on the planet mainly due to avoidable human activity*.
“The project always planned to bring together UK-wide sensitive seabed data and then focus on European waters, but we have been overwhelmed by contributors and are excited to have so many partners come forward in such a short period of time. Making this data visible in the Savvy Navvy app to those of us who can mitigate our impact when boating, across the world, is incredibly exciting and just makes so much sense to seagrass conservation efforts,” says Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors.
Data from the US, Europe has been collated and is set to be added in the all-in-one navigation app next.
“While Savvy Navvy is all about simplifying boating technology by making navigation safe and easy for everyone, innovative campaigns helping boaters to make better choices when out on the water is something we feel very strongly about. It’s great seeing the seagrass coverage expanding in our app. Together with our campaign partners, we continue to actively seek more eco-moorings in the UK and around the world, as we break down barriers to boating and help people get out onto the water, we need to make sure we do so sustainably. Cleaner boating is better boating,” says David Cusworth, Head of Innovation and Partnerships at Savvy Navvy.
To find out more about the #protectourbeds campaign visit www.savvy-navvy.com/seagrass .
The #protectourbeds campaign continues to look for global data partners for the next milestone of the project. All enquiries and applications can be directed to Clean Sailors via info@cleansailors.com .
About #ProtectOurBeds
The aim of ‘#protectourbeds´ is to help stop vital seagrass being destroyed. By bringing greater awareness to water-users on where sensitive seabeds lie and encouraging them to use eco-moorings where available, the campaign aims to educate, inspire and encourage the boating community to make more informed anchoring choices when out on the water.
About seagrass
Seagrass meadows store 10% of the ocean’s carbon and are key protagonists in the combat of climate change. They can be up to 35 times more efficient at absorbing carbon than rainforests of the same area and also provide a habitat for rare and endangered species. Despite the importance of seagrass, in the UK alone, we have lost nearly half our seagrass beds since the 1930s, mainly due to avoidable human activity.
* The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 2014 figure
