Would you like to be a SBMP On the Water Ambassador in 2025?
Join us on Wednesday 9th April 2025 7-8pm for this one hour online event to find out more how you can support marine conservation at Studland Bay.
Informal yet informative, this workshop recognises that the best people to raise awareness of how eco-moorings are supporting Dorset’s largest seagrass meadow to thrive are those who love to spend time there on or in the water. The event will share information about the developments from last season and how you can get involved and share the key messaging for the 2025 season ahead when you are ‘on the water’.
For more details and to register for the online event on the 9th April
Thanks to the film made by The Crown Estate and Wonderroom Productions, the work of the Studland Bay Marine Partnership has been highlighted as part of their Sea, Land & City film series. Eco-moorings have been installed at Studland Bay by the SBMP which help protect seagrass habitats and create a sustainable way for the boating community to enjoy the beauty of this magnificent bay.
Your donation can make a huge difference to seagrass restoration at Studland Bay.
With your help, we’ll continue to restore this precious habitat and ensure people will be able to enjoy these waters for years to come. 10% of the ocean’s total burial of carbon is captured by seagrass and Studland has the capacity to produce 10 tonnes of oxygen a day – that’s enough for 10,000 people or the whole town of Swanage
100% of the funds raised through your donation will be used directly towards marine conservation at Studland Bay:
£5 could help to maintain the eco-moorings
£10 could help restore the habitat of the Spiny Seahorse – Studland is its main breeding ground!
£25 could help to support our research and monitoring programme
Corporate Partnerships
Do you work for or run a business that wants to give back to the marine world? The ambitious work of the partnership in the past few years has succeeded so far through the brilliant support of our core partners and through corporate donations. Join us on this journey for nature and find out how you can become a valued partner.
In August 2024 the SBMP unveiled 8 navigation and seagrass awareness boards at marinas across the local area.
The boards help recreational boat users to identify the marine protected area, seagrass beds and voluntary no anchor zone (VNAZ) providing practical tips so everyone can navigate and minimise any damage through anchoring and have a greater understanding of where the 87 eco-moorings are located for public use.
Funded as part of the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) FaSS grant awarded to the partnership in 2024, the design of the boards reflect those installed by the RYA’s environment programme The Green Blue but on a local, Studland specific level.
The partnership is once again offering marinas and yacht clubs the opportunity to book in a friendly and informative talk from the boating members of our Steering Group, all about Studland and the work of the SBMP over the coming months. Interested in booking? Please contact Project Office Sara.
As a partnership we are very fortunate to be working with leading experts in marine conservation, with experience across numerous fields including marine ecology, social science, oceanography, marine policy and coastal dynamics who are monitoring the seagrass and marine life beneath the waves.
To support our monitoring programme, we now have a time-lapse camera installed overlooking the Voluntary No Anchor Zone. This camera takes multiple still images a day during the season when the full set of eco-moorings are out in the bay, and remotely sends them back to our Research and Monitoring Team. The images are then processed by software at the University of Southampton which can tell us the number of boats utilising the bay and help us to understand any patterns in boat activity. Having a better record and understanding of this will help us better protect the seagrass beds in Dorset’s largest seagrass meadow.
Neptune and the Seagrass – conservation conversations at Middle Beach, Studland
Middle Beach, Studland 10am-4pm
We will be joining Neptune once again – a beautiful seahorse sculpture created by artist Eilidh Middleton with a day of marine conservation talks and free family fun at Middle Beach, Studland.
Standing proud above Middle Beach during the summer months, Neptune looks over towards the bay, Dorset’s largest seagrass meadow and the Voluntary No Anchor Zone.
Join us for FREE 20 minute marine conservation talks at:
11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm
With the recent install of our additional eco-moorings, this is an opportunity for all ages to come along and view our display eco-mooring and talk to members of the Studland Bay Marine Partnership to find out how eco-moorings are protecting our precious marine habitats.
Look for the beautiful seahorse sculpture Neptune and the big blue Dorset Coast Forum gazebo and you have found us!
