European seas have been subjected to decades of pollution, overfishing, and habitat loss, leaving many areas in need of urgent intervention, both to remove threats and return key species to the ecosystem.

The Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme is awarding US$25 million in grants to seven large-scale projects, to help accelerate the restoration of Europe’s marine and coastal environments. The grant recognises the crucial role European seas play in supporting marine life, coastal economies, and climate resilience, and that protecting and restoring marine habitats will help sustain fisheries, buffer shorelines, and capture carbon.

The projects span nearly 3 million hectares, an area the size of Belgium, and focus on reversing habitat loss, improving ecological connectivity, and strengthening protections across some of the region’s most ecologically important seascapes.

The UK is involved in two of the projects: Rewilding the Dogger Bank, led by the Doggerland Foundation, is a three-year project focusing on legal protections, habitat restoration, and advocating for the rights of marine life in one of Europe’s most historically and ecologically significant offshore areas. Transforming the Thames, led by the Zoological Society of London, is a project aiming to restore and reconnect the Greater Thames’ fragmented habitats, by reducing pressures and strengthening protections to help wildlife recover.