WATER QUALITY AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS
Oysters are 'keystone species' and super effective ecosystem engineers
Growing up around Chichester Harbour and the UK South Coast, Poppy and Lottie have witnessed first hand the growing water quality crisis and biodiversity decline.
Significant pollution incidents in England in 2024
Significant pollution incidents, primarily caused by sewage discharges from water companies, rose by 60% in 2024 in England, reaching 2,801 incidents, the highest on record.
This has led to contaminated waterways, posing risks to public health (like gastrointestinal illnesses) and the environment. The crisis is attributed to decades of underinvestment and lax regulation.
The UK also is facing a biodiversity crisis, characterized by a significant decline in species and habitats, making it one of the most nature-depleted countries globally; drivers include pollution, habitat loss, and agriculture.
Oysters are 'keystone species' and super effective ecosystem engineers; each oyster filtering our pollutants from around 150 liters everyday, making their surrounding ecosystems more habitable for other plants and animals.
By reintroducing oysters at scale, we can make a positive impact to the local marine ecosystem. Although this is hard to measure on a day to day basis – marine environments are, by their nature, dynamic and open to many external variables – we know from academic research literature the positive impact the introduction of oysters has.
We are working with several academic bodies and subject matter experts to continue to develop the body of evidence around the impact of our work.