What has been your best experience with SER so far?

Hi there! I joined in the summer of 2021, when I presented my MSc thesis on community engagement strategies in European restoration projects at the SER and SER Europe virtual conferences. After joining various SER Europe activities, I successfully applied to become SER Europe’s Membership Associate. Together with Programme Manager Jordi Pietx, we ran a membership campaign to connect restoration professionals across Europe and help boost the restoration momentum. While it was great to see the enthusiasm across the continent as we ran our campaign, something was missing: I had never met anyone of the SER community in person, because my work for SER Europe had been online-only from the start. That quickly changed when I traveled to Alicante (Spain) in 2022, and joined the SER Europe conference, SERE2022, on the Mediterranean coast. What a joy it was to meet hundreds of people from across the world, who work on different ecosystems, yet share the same drive to restore what we have lost. That conference has by far been my best SER experience to date.

What is your current occupation?

Since the spring of 2022, I have been the Seagrass Restoration Lead for North Wales at Project Seagrass. We are a UK-based charity that aims to conserve and restore seagrass meadows through education, science, and restoration. We are currently restoring 10 hectares of seagrass across North Wales, and we simultaneously run restoration projects in Scotland and England. There is lots to learn and to do, which makes it incredibly interesting.

Using hands-on restoration and science-driven research, Project Seagrass focuses on engaging local communities in our restoration activities, as this is critical for the long-term success of our seagrass restoration efforts. For instance, when collecting seagrass seeds from a healthy seagrass meadow in North Wales last summer, we were joined by volunteers from all walks of life – from school children and veterans, to entrepreneurs and local government officials. It is vital for people to see what seagrass is; what it does for biodiversity, climate, and people; and how they can help to bring back seagrass along their coasts. At the same time, the local communities have a wealth of local ecological knowledge that informs us how we can effectively restore seagrass meadows in these areas.

Despite being a nascent field, there is a rapidly growing community of seagrass restoration organisations and groups across the globe with whom we are connected. It is wonderful to be part of this community and to have the opportunity to learn from each other, as it helps all of us to move forward.

How does your work support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration?

Project Seagrass is a supporting partner to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and is featured as a restoration implementer on the Decade’s Restoration Implementers Hub – which is actually how I found Project Seagrass in the first place. Furthermore, Project Seagrass created a restoration case study video to provide course materials to the UNDP Massive Open Online Course on Ecosystem Restoration. As part of our activities, we are committed to communicating the messages of #GenerationRestoration across our communication platforms and spreading awareness about the importance of the Decade.

Collecting seagrass seeds in North Wales during the summer of 2022.

Why would you encourage others, particularly young people, to get involved in this field?

Great question. How about we do a brief thought experiment?

How old are you now? Well, add 50 years to that. You’re retired. Now look back on your life. What would make you feel fulfilled – truly fulfilled – and proud of what you did during your lifetime? What memories would leave a smile on your face, and a tear of joy in your eyes?

Indeed, these are not the easiest questions to answer, yet they give you a sense of what is truly important to you. To me, one of the most important things is to contribute to passing on a healthier planet to future generations by restoring ecosystems. In contrast to many other jobs, this work goes beyond making a living, it goes beyond solely documenting the decline of our planet, it goes beyond the timespan of our individual lives. Instead, it is about actively restoring life on our planet. Yes, it is challenging. Yes, there will be failures. But if you are eager to learn, willing to adapt your practices, and you are determined to do it well and in tandem with others, then restoration will be incredibly valuable for generations to come.

If I am ever in doubt of why I do this work, I only need one reminder – the smile on my nieces’ and nephew’s faces. As a part of the future generations of our planet, they and all the other young people of the world should witness a beautiful recovery of our world whilst growing up. That’s what I am working towards.

“To me, one of the most important things is to help pass on a healthier planet to future generations by restoring ecosystems.”

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?

I come from a big family, and during two of my siblings’ weddings I had the great honour to be the wedding officiant.

My first restoration experience: coral reef restoration in the Maldives with my colleagues in 2017.

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