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Researchers and professional services staff joined partners around the region to launch Sussex Bay on 13 June 2024. 

The Sussex Bay partnership encompasses 100 miles of Sussex waters from Chichester to Camber Sands.

It has designed and implemented the UK's first Blue Natural Capital (BNC) Lab, with the aim of building high-integrity, sustainable investment models to enable seascape restoration at scale. Its mission is to generate a £50 million fund by 2050 to accelerate local seascape recovery that benefits nature, people and business.

The University are established partners, initially around the Kelp Restoration Project initiated in 2021. Supported by PhD students Alice Clark and Marianne Glascott in the School of Life Sciences, under the supervision of Prof Mika Peck and Dr Valentina Scarponi, they have supported Sussex Bay conservation and represented the Sussex University Aquatic Research and Knowledge Exchange (ARK) group. 

The aspiration of Sussex Bay is to extend that restoration into coastal communities and the intertidal zones of the Sussex river catchments, wetlands and saltmarshes that support nature and people to thrive. 

“It was a privilege to attend the launch of Sussex Bay and be in a room of hundreds of likeminded people wanting to make a change for the better. I came home feeling inspired. Can't wait to see the developments in Sussex Bay in the coming years!” says Alice, while Marianne adds: “The launch event was truly remarkable, marking a significant turning point where we united to amplify the ongoing great work.”

The launch opened up new opportunities to connect with Sussex research beyond marine conservation, and included Prof Ann Light’s work on enabling regenerative ocean cultures, Prof Alice Elbridge’s work connecting people to nature through sound, Dr Perpetua Kirby’s research that supports young people manage anxiety around climate change and Dr Chris Sandom’s work that explores how we can rebalance eco delivery systems and build natural capital. 

Dr Ralitsa Hiteva and Prof Tim Foxon also shared research around nature-based business models for net zero and how to plan for Local Green New Deals.

"There was a palpable sense of excitement and shared ambition at the Sussex Bay launch event in the beautifully refurbished Brighton Dome Corn Exchange," says Robin Banerjee, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global and Civic Engagement. "Building on a strong foundation of collaborative work that has already been taking place at the University of Sussex, the launch event has already sparked new explorations of partnership activities across our research, our education and skills development, and our community more widely."

To find out more, visit www.sussexbay.org.uk, or contact Norah Davies, External Stakeholder Engagement Adviser, at N.Davies@sussex.ac.uk.

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