SAMS news room

Today, on National Seaweed Day 4 June, SAMS has been announced as a partner in a three-year WWF-UK project to unlock the power of seaweed in tackling the climate crisis. 

The £1m project, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, will allow WWF-UK and partners to work with coastal communities in Pembrokeshire to develop a model of community-led regenerative seaweed farming and support the scale-up of a sustainable, responsible UK-wide industry that benefits local communities, nature and climate. 

Unlike other cultivated crops, seaweed doesn’t require fertiliser, pesticides, freshwater or land, and it grows rapidly. Regenerative seaweed farms can provide a sustainable and healthy food source, and a range of seaweed derived products (including food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals and fertilisers); as well as ecosystem services such as mitigating climate change, improving water quality, enhancing biodiversity and facilitating economic growth for coastal communities. 

Dr Suzi Billing from SAMS, who will look into the perspectives of community stakeholders in Pembrokeshire as part of the project, said: “Seaweed farming holds significant potential to contribute to a just transition, but that potential can only be realised through actively listening to our coastal communities — their values, concerns, hopes, and lived experiences.

“Through the making of a film, Coastal Voices, we’ve created a space for the community in St David’s, Pembrokeshire to share their diverse perspectives on seaweed farming. By facilitating open dialogue and sharing community voices through film, we aim to develop pathways for the sector to grow across the UK, in a way that truly benefits and reflects the people who call our coastlines home.”

WWF UK will be working in partnership with two other core partners including one of the pioneers of seaweed farming in the UK, Câr-y-Môr in St David’s, Pembrokeshire and Plant Ecology Beyond Land (PEBL), which will monitor the impacts of seaweed farms on biodiversity and climate.   

This grant comes from the Climate Action Fund, a £100 million commitment over 10 years from The National Lottery Community Fund to support communities across the UK to take action on climate change and involve more people in climate action. This forms part of one of the funder’s four key missions in its 2030 strategy, ‘It starts with community’ - supporting communities to be  environmentally sustainable.   

Ollie Parker, who was recently appointed Pembrokeshire Regenerative Ocean Farming Manager for WWF UK says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we and our partners are looking forward to working with coastal communities in Pembrokeshire to develop a sustainable, locally led future seaweed farming industry which will benefit our communities by creating employment, supporting coastal industries such as tourism and fishing, and inspiring people to support and take pride in their local and cultural heritage.” 

The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.  

As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.  

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700  projects to turn their great ideas into reality.  

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk