Kier has announced a long-term partnership with the Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT), and has committed to supporting its Blue Meadows project - which aims to protect, regenerate and restore seagrass meadows.
The new partnership involves funding towards seagrass meadows research and the launch of a new eighteen-month post-graduate research project with the University of Plymouth.
It will be the most detailed study in the UK to research subtidal seagrass beds, which are beds that remain underwater at low tide, and surrounding bare sediment. It will examine whether the meadows trap polluting microplastics under their beds and its impact on the environment.
Seagrass is recognised as one of the UK’s most important marine habitats and its long leaves are known to slow down the water current and trap small particles within the seagrass bed.
The study will observe the level of microplastics in animals living on, and feeding from, the seagrass leaves - and compare this to other habitats. It will test the theory that if higher microplastics levels are found in the seagrass sediment, but not in the animals, that seagrass can act as a sink for polluting particles by locking them away in the sediment – while also measuring the health and growth of the meadows.
Alongside the study, Kier will be providing community engagement officers to run outreach programmes to raise awareness of the importance of seagrass meadows along the UK coastline. It will also ensure restored and protected seagrass is well-monitored through the use of Remote Operated Vehicles condition mapping and environmental DNA (eDNA) testing – which takes samples to make discoveries about marine life, water quality and bacteria.
"At Kier we understand the bigger picture - and that the health of our oceans impacts the health of all life on earth.
Our seagrass meadows need protecting and restoring. They are fantastic carbon sinks, rich in biodiversity, slow coastal erosion - and our study is focused on understanding if it can trap and remove microplastic from ocean. We are proud to be partnering with OCT and the University of Plymouth to support the protection and restoration of our seagrass meadows."
Matt Tompsett, head of sustainability and environment, Kier Transportation
Kier Transportation is exploring other nature-based solutions to microplastic pollution coming from the road network, and finding solutions that mitigate the impact at the end of the pathway where it accumulates. It is also trialling the use of biochar with TerrAffix to remove microplastics from road runoff at source, which is when pollutants settle on the surface of the road build up during dry weather and are then washed into rivers and streams via the highway drainage system when it rains.
"Seagrass meadows are one of the world’s most efficient habitats in removing CO2, and are hotspots of biodiversity. Seagrass around the UK coast has declined drastically over the years, and there is a critical need to protect existing beds and restore the habitat we have lost.
We have been working together with Matt and the team for a while now, so we are delighted to develop the partnership further with Kier Transportation’s support of OCT’s Blue Meadows programme, to protect and restore seagrass at scale."
Ian McFadzen, CEO at the Ocean Conservation Trust
Further supporting OCTs protection programme, Kier will be repurposing waste concrete from Kier schemes, such as the A417 project on behalf of National Highways, to make sinker blocks for marker buoys. By marking sea grass meadows, they can be clearly located and minimise disruption to the seabed.