The native oyster is now almost extinct in many areas around Europe, having declined by over 90 per cent due to human impacts.
A new guide to help restore and protect native oysters and their habitat has been launched.
The is the ultimate 鈥渉ow to鈥 guide to native oyster restoration in the UK and Ireland. The native oyster (Ostrea edulis) is now almost extinct in many areas around Europe, having declined by over 90 per cent due to human impacts.
The publication, commissioned by the Environment Agency and launched at the third annual , is produced by the , a joint collaboration between 黑料入口 and the Zoological Society of London
The handbook is created to help governments, communities and other groups sustainably restore our lost coastal habitats to create a thriving and healthy marine environment that benefits human health and wellbeing.
The handbook draws on the breadth of experience in native oyster restoration now present across the UK and Ireland to provide foundational and practical guidance on the restoration and conservation of this imperiled species and reef habitat. The guidance is also of relevance to projects restoring oysters across Europe. It is a collaborative project with authors from the UK and EU scientific communities contributing to several chapters, with the chapter on biosecurity in oyster restoration representing a fully collaborative effort between the two communities.
Dr Joanne Preston, from the University鈥檚 Institute of Marine Sciences and lead editor of the handbook said: 鈥淭his handbook aims to be accessible for both small-scale feasibility projects, as well as larger, more established projects. It covers an introduction into native oyster restoration, information about starting a restoration project, current methods of restoration in practice, biosecurity recommendations and an outline of how to effectively communicate a restoration project.
鈥淭he handbook is created to help governments, communities and other groups sustainably restore our lost coastal habitats to create a thriving and healthy marine environment that benefits human health and wellbeing.鈥
The Handbook has been written as an annex to the 鈥淕lobal Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs鈥 (Fitzsimons et al. 2019), providing a detailed overview of information relevant to the restoration of the European native oyster, whilst adhering to international standards of ecological restoration. It has also been acknowledged as supporting the goals of the .
The full handbook can be .