Learn about how seagrass is connected to the other special habitats within the Solent.
Image credit: Theo Vickers
Thu 27 March All day
Thur 27th Mar | 6 – 8pm | FREE
Learn about how seagrass is connected to the other special habitats within the Solent and how our own connection with these special places and people can help safeguard and restore our Solent’s incredible wildlife.
Join us at Quay Arts for an engaging talk about the importance of seagrass in our marine ecosystems. Learn about the fascinating world of seagrass and its vital role in supporting our local marine wildlife across the Solent. Our knowledgeable speakers will share insights and stories about the conservation efforts to protect this precious habitat. This is an opportunity to expand your knowledge and appreciation for our local wildlife.
EVENT DETAILS
6 – 7 pm:
Exhibition Viewing with Cafe Bar open
A chance to see the Habitat(s) exhibition currently on display in our Cafe, which is a collaborative exhibition between Isle of Wight College students Btec Art and Design Practice Level 3 Year 1, Project Seagrass, and Marine Photographer Theo Vickers. Exploring the Isle of Wights Sea Grass beds through photography and 3D installations documenting the fauna that lives within this globally rare and important habitat.
Specimen Display
The SSP engagement stand will host a variety of weird and wonderful marine specimens including a seal’s skull, Cuttle fish bones, shark & ray eggs and even a dried seahorse! Come along and find out how to identify the strange marine treasures you might find on your local shore and broaden your knowledge on local marine wildlife!
Talk Content and Speakers
7 pm – 7:15 pm:
Anouska Mendzil and Emma Butterworth from Project Seagrass
Topic: Project Seagrass: Restoring our Marine Meadows
7:15 pm – 7:30 pm:
Theo Vickers Marine Photographer
Topic: Wild Marine Meadows – Life in the Isle of Wight’s Seagrass
7:30 pm – 7:45 pm:
Emily Stroud from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
Topic: Sea the Connection
Emily leads community engagement for the Solent Seascapes Project, working to promote positive behaviour change within communities to protect vital marine habitats like seagrass, salt marshes, and oyster beds.
7:45 pm – 8 pm: Question panel
*The Cafe Bar will be open 6 – 7pm, entrance via Cafe Terrace.
Image credit: Theo Vickers
Speaker Bios
Emily Stroud – Senior Engagement Officer: Solent Seascapes Project
She leads on the community engagement for the Solent Seascapes Project, focusing on encouraging positive behaviour change in boat users to protect seagrass habitats. She collaborates with local communities, volunteers, and partners to raise awareness about the Solent’s marine life, including salt marshes, oyster beds, and bird nesting grounds. She also delivers educational workshops, recruit and train volunteers, and organises events that build strong community connections. This work aims to co-create strategies with people that preserve and protect the Solent’s unique marine ecosystems.
Anouska Mendzil – Project Seagrass and Swansea University – Senior Scientific Officer: Seagrass Restoration Lead
She leads of marine restorative practices of Zostera marina seagrass species and works on multiple projects associated with restoring, protecting and conserving seagrass meadows in the UK. More recently Anouska works on the Solent Seascape Project aiming to restore 3.5 hectares of seagrass on the Isle of Wight and a WWF-funded project undertaking the largest in-field planting methodology trials of seagrass to better inform science and practice. Anouska also works with Advanced Mooring Systems or eco-moorings to better protect coastal habitats such as seagrass. Anouska has previously worked on fisheries research associated with seagrass and is a multi-disciplinary scientist with over 14 years in academia.
Emma Butterworth – Project Seagrass, Solent Fieldwork Officer
She works with Anouska on the various seagrass restoration and conservation projects on the Isle of Wight: the Solent Seascape Project, the WWF-funded methodology trials, and the Advanced Mooring Systems. Her academic background is in exploring the role of seagrass in supporting our UK bird life, which draws together her two core interests – seagrass and birds. Her current role involves plenty of monitoring and restoration fieldwork on the Isle of Wight, and she engages with the community through regular volunteer “Fragment Walks” which allow people to be actively involved in the seagrass restoration of their local meadows.
Theo Vickers – Award-Winning Underwater Photographer and Marine Biologist
Theo Vickers is an award-winning underwater photographer and marine biologist from the Isle of Wight. Theo plays an active role in community marine conservation and biology across the island, ranging from capturing images and footage of the island’s marine life and leading guided rockpool safaris, to assisting with marine fieldwork, delivering public talks, making media appearances and helping with local marine species recording. In 2023 Theo’s images of the island’s chalk reefs won the British Waters Wide Angle and Most Promising British Underwater Photographer awards in Underwater Photographer of the Year, and he works closely with an array of marine conservation charities and organisations across the Solent. As a marine ecologist Theo has interests in temperate marine biodiversity, seagrass ecosystems and the ecology of bony fish, sharks, skates and rays in UK waters. Theo is currently a PhD researcher at the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Marine Sciences, studying the ecology of the common stingray in the waters of the Isle of Wight Marine Biosphere.
FREE, BOOKING ESSENTIAL
EVENT TIMINGS
Exhibition Viewing:
6 – 7pm
Talk with Q&A:
7 – 8pm
