Help us save our Atlantic Coast's spectacular species. Donate today.

The rugged coastline is pictured with grey water reflecting the light grey sky. Overlaid on the image is a a group of puffins on a clifftop, flying close to the cliff edge.

Atlantic Coast

The UK's Atlantic coast is under threat from the worsening biodiversity crisis and the climate emergency, with pollution and habitat loss putting our marine life, coastal communities, and planet at risk. That's where we come in.

Stretching from Cornwall to the Hebrides, the UK's Atlantic Coast encompasses sandy beaches, sheltered coves, estuaries, mudflats, soaring cliffs and deep seas. It's home to unique and diverse habitats, weird and wonderful species, and is an important marine migratory corridor.

We’re determined to regenerate our western coastline and ensure it thrives again. Through our Atlantic Coast programme, generously supported by FatFace and the FatFace Foundation, we’re strengthening populations of key hero species – native oysters, seagrass, blue mussels, and kelp – to create thriving marine ecosystems bursting with life.

By protecting and regenerating these species, we’re not just rebuilding habitats or restoring populations – we’re helping to tackle climate change, clean our coastal waters, protect marine biodiversity and drive long-term ocean recovery. Over time, they’ll become self-sustaining and spread into surrounding areas, allowing an Atlantic Coast-wide transformation.

A common cuttlefish is photographed on the sandy seabed, its mottle skin blending in with its surroundings. To the left of the photograph is a smaller picture of some newly planted seagrass plants.

Image credit: Laura McConnell (Seagrass) and Jon Bunker (Cuttlefish)

Connecting habitats and communities

Our work to support key hero species is in partnership with communities along the Atlantic Coast. In Scotland, we’ll create spatting ponds with community partners to safely raise baby oysters (called spat). We’ll work to revive traditional centuries-old methods of oyster cultivation and pioneer new ways to restore oyster populations, such as developing small-scale community spatting ponds. Once successful, these methods can be repeated across our coastline, creating a network of small hatcheries which could re-stock large areas of Native oyster habitat.  

In Wales, we’re already growing thousands of baby oysters, which will then be raised on the Pembrokeshire coast until they’re ready to live in the ocean. So far, we’ve already moved 60,000 baby oysters into their new home at Tethys oyster farm to be raised until they’re big enough for deployment in the ocean. We're currently monitoring these to gain vital data to better understand how to restore this ecologically fundamental species.

Our first Scottish seagrass enhancement project with community partners the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust and The Eigg Guiding Co. has already mapped a whopping 8.45 hectares of seagrass previously unsurveyed. Here we have begun trialing seagrass restoration using seagrass seeds with the help of volunteers and members of the community. In West Loch Tarbert community partners Action West Loch have surveyed another whopping 28.5 hectares of seagrass to assess the ongoing health of seagrass beds in the area.

60000

baby oysters growing at Tethys oyster farm

180

+

mature oysters in our spatting ponds

37

hectares of seagrass surveyed

Next steps for the programme

Our programme will connect the Atlantic Coast projects across the four nations of the UK. We’ll restore and protect seagrass meadows, work alongside communities to establish native oyster spatting ponds and regenerate key species. As well as providing habitats for an abundance of marine life, both species capture vast amounts of carbon and help stabilise the seabed to protect our coast from erosion. 

Scottish Seascapes will see Advanced Mooring Systems being used commercially in Scotland for the first time on the Isle of Eigg in 2027. We’ve already successfully installed these systems alongside partners in Plymouth Sound, with astounding results – by lifting moorings’ ropes and chains off the seabed, this type of mooring protects seagrass meadows from damage and uprooting.

A common dolphin is pictured breaking through the surface of the water. Below it is a cut-out photograph of a native oyster.

Image credit: Dolphin: Jon Bunker

Seagrass enhancement activities will ramp up in 2027 on the Isle of Eigg, where we initially aim to restore 1.1 hectares of seagrass by extending seagrass beds present, using a combination of seagrass seed dispersal and rhizome transplantation.

In West Loch Tarbert, we'll begin trialing methods of spat collection with partners Action West Loch. We'll also be assessing the viability and suitability of areas for Native oyster regeneration work, alongside further developing small-scale community Native oyster spatting ponds.  

Excitingly, we're currently scoping several large scale, multi-species regeneration projects across Wales, with partners, businesses and communities. We're launching our latest project in October 2026, which explores novel methods to regenerate Blue mussel populations.

Across one connected Atlantic, the smallest species like native oysters and seagrass will help create healthier, more resilient seas where breathtaking wildlife can thrive.

You can help restore the small, save the spectacular.

Donate today.

In the background is some vivid green seagrass in dark turquoise water. Overlaid on top is a photograph of a side view of a puffin, it's bright orange beak shining in the sunlight.
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Key regeneration projects

Two native oysters sit in shallow water on a rock. They are around the size of an adult's palm and, apart from the lip of the shell (they are bivalves), they do look very similar to grey rocks!

Oysters - humble heroes

Learn all about our work to reintroduce these ocean superheroes.
Vivid green seagrass is photographed underwater in the Isle of Scilly. The white sand seabed is visible, and the water is a bright turquoise blue.

Natur Am Byth!

This is a four-year partnership with nine organisations, led by Natural Resources Wales, to help save threatened species across Wales and connect communities to nature.
Sandeels swim above a seagrass meadow. With shafts of sunlight shining through the water, there's a stunning contrast between the vibrant green seagrass and the clear blue water.

Seagrass restoration

Learn about our projects to restore underwater meadows.

Thanks to our founding partners Fatface & FatFace Foundation