Worthing: Montague Gardens sign shines light on sea kelp restoration efforts
An information board on sea kelp restoration in Sussex has been installed at Worthing’s Montague Gardens.
A play area designed to resemble different species of sea kelp was unveiled in the town centre this month.
It forms part of the £3.1million Montague Gardens – a ‘vibrant green space’ linking the town centre to the seafront – which opened to the public in September.
A colourful new sign, installed next to the play area, explains how efforts to rewild the Sussex seabed and restore lost kelp forests has helped marine life begin to thrive once more.
A Worthing Borough Council spokesperson said: “Our thanks to Sussex Kelp Recovery Project for providing the fascinating information about sea kelp, Project Centre for explaining the inspiration behind the design of the play area, Joe Cox from Colonnade House for designing the sign and Subway EPS and Tara Signs for making and installing it.”
‘Vast’ beds of kelp once stretched along the Sussex coastline from Selsey to Shoreham-by-Sea’, according to the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project.
The habitats ‘teemed’ with life, supporting species such as European Sea Bass, European Lobster and Common Cuttlefish.
By the mid 1980s, 96 per cent of the kelp had disappeared – along with the marine life it supported – due to a number of stressors, including destructive fishing practices.
In 2021, bottom-trawling was banned from 304 km² of the Sussex coast, leading to the formation of the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project.
For more information about kelp recovery in Sussex, visit: https://sussexkelp.org.uk/.