Temperate Coastal Seascapes
The coastal seascape is defined as “the physical mosaic of interacting habitats occupying the coastal marine environment across time and space” (Preston et al. in press).
Temperate coastal habitats, such as saltmarsh, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, and kelp forests, individually support a diverse abundance of marine life and hold critical value for climate regulation, water quality, and coastal defence. However, the potential for coastal habitats to deliver these ecosystem services is amplified when they co-exist as one connected habitat mosaic, forming the temperate coastal seascape.
These habitats and their associated biodiversity are, however, in peril. The European native oyster ecosystem has been assessed as collapsed under the IUCN Red List Assessment. Seagrass loss has accelerated over the last 100 years (with up to 90% of UK seagrasses lost), 50% of global saltmarshes are or degraded, kelp forests are declining by 1.8% annually, and 60% of existing kelp forests are degraded. As we reach halfway through the UN Decades on Ecosystem Restoration and Ocean Science for Sustainability, there is hope in the number and scale of scientific research and restoration of coastal habitats.
The Native Oyster Network advocates for the integrated restoration of degraded coastal habitats at the seascape scale, to maximise ecological functioning, sustain ecosystem provisioning, and work towards achieving the Global Biodiversity Frameworkâs restoration target of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050.
Restoring Our Seascapes: Evidence and Actions for Coastal Habitat Restoration
Garbutt, A., Underwood, G. J. C., Harley, J., Boskova, K., Hardy, M.J., McGarrigle, A., Millington-Drake, M., Gamble, C., Debney A., zu Ermgassen, P.S.E., and Preston, J. (2024) (2024) Seascape Scale Restoration: Restoring our coastal habitats for nature and people. Blue Marine Foundation Report.
Seascape Symposium: Ecological Connectivity Across the Temperate Seascape
The first Seascape Symposium was held on 22nd & 23rd November 2022, hosted by the Zoological Society of London in partnership with the Native Oyster Network, University of Portsmouth, University of Edinburgh, and EU Life.
This two-day event provided a comprehensive review of the current state of science surrounding habitat connectivity in temperate coastal systems and provided a firm basis for discussion and networking, relating to the policy and practical importance of connectivity.
The symposium was attended by 150 scientists, regulators, policy makers and practitioners and facilitated a knowledge exchange between habitat experts, and connecting scientists with practitioners and policy makers.
This symposium contributed to the aims of the ReMeMaRe Connectivity in Estuarine, Coastal and Transitional Ecosystem Restoration (ConnECTER) Specialist Interest Group (SIG).
For more information on this event, please visit the ZSL webpage, including a copy of the full programme with Abstracts and Biographies.
Seascape Symposium I: Workshop
A following technical workshop bought together scientists and coastal habitat experts to pull their knowledge of existing evidence for connectivity across temperate coastal habitats and identify knowledge gaps in our understanding of this connectivity. The following inter-habitat connectivity themes were analysed: (i) Trophic Interactions, (ii) Habitat Interactions, (iii) Nutrients and Carbon, and (iv) Genetics and Larval Connectivity.
Connectivity across the Temperate Coastal Seascape
The evidence and knowledge gaps identified in this workshop were then pulled together and published in the following paper. (add link to paper and any additional text)
Preston et al., in press. Seascape connectivity: evidence, knowledge gaps and implications for temperate coastal ecosystem restoration practice and policy. Nature Ocean Sustainability Submission.
Seascape Symposium II: Reconnecting the Seascape
On 4th and 5th June 2025, the Zoological Society of London will host the second Seascape Symposium: Reconnecting the Seascape, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth and University of Edinburgh.
This symposium aims to reconnect experts working across habitats to increase understanding of the ecology, connectivity and interactions between habitats across the temperate seascape, advance how we assess the benefits from connecting restored habitats, and build a community of scientists, policymakers, and practitioners to deliver collaborative action to achieve restoration at scale.
This second symposium will focus on the following themes:
- Principles and drivers of seascape restoration
- Advances in habitat specific ecology
- Advances in seascape restoration practice
- Overcoming financial barriers to scaling up nature-based solutions
- Community-driven conservation
- Advances in monitoring the marine environment at seascape scales
- Measuring and enabling connectivity
- Source-to-Sea approaches
For more information and how to book, please visit Seascape Symposium 2025 | ZSL
Seascape Infographics
Illustration of the Role of Connectivity
Seascape Schematic Figure
Diagram of Ecosystem Service Delivery from a Restored and Connected Seascape
Conceptual Framework of Seascape Ecological Connectivity
