Looking after our waterways, seas and oceans helps our wellbeing too...
In the UK, you are never more than 70 miles from the sea. National Marine Week is the Wildlife Trusts' annual celebration of the wildlife found in the seas around the UK. This year's theme is ‘Sea the Connection', highlighting how as an island nation we are all closely connected to the sea, and showing how important it is that we have a healthy and thriving marine environment.
Biodiversity is essential to support life on earth, including wildlife and humans, and a thriving marine habitat provides a variety of physical and mental health benefits to us. These include:
- Provision of nutritious seafood, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and bioactive compounds that can be used to create new medicines.
- Access to ‘blue space', areas of water for leisure and education, helping to improve mental health and bringing communities together.
- Helping to regulate extreme heat waves and reducing pollution levels in the water.
Over half of all our wildlife in the UK (more than 30,000 species) is found in the sea, together contributing to the above benefits as well as flood management, water purification and oxygen generation (50% of the oxygen on earth comes from sea life). Therefore, it is just as important to human health as it is to the wildlife itself that we help keep our seas and beaches clean.
If you would like to take part this National Marine Week, you could consider the following:
- Join a beach clean – Visit MCSUK to discover beach cleaning guides and resources. Brighton residents may want to help with the beach clean that follows Brighton Pride (Sunday 04 August 2024).
- Use less plastic – Reducing your plastic use will ensure that you are creating less plastic pollution. Where possible, use reusable items rather than single use plastic. Read our article for tips on reducing plastic in healthcare.
- Take part in events across the country – The Wildlife Trusts are running events all across the country, such as beach cleans, nighttime safaris, marine wildlife surveys and dolphin watches.
Visit the Wildlife Trusts' website to learn more about National Marine Week Events, or for more information on the amazing wildlife found in UK seas.