SER-Europe is proud to partner in REBORN, a transnational project funded by the Interreg North-West Europe Programme working to unlock large-scale seagrass restoration across the region.

About the project

REBORN brings together 11 partners, including SER-Europe, from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland, and Germany to advance seagrass restoration as a Blue-Green Infrastructure and natural capital opportunity in North-West Europe.

Project Duration: 2026–2029

Total Budget: €4.9 million, including €2.9 million in financial support from the Interreg North-West Europe Programme

REBORN Flyer

Why Seagrass Restoration Matters

Seagrass meadows are among the most important coastal ecosystems on the planet, supporting high levels of marine biodiversity and providing a wide range of ecosystem services. They improve water quality, stabilize sediments, protect coastlines from erosion, and provide critical habitat and nursery grounds for thousands of marine species that support coastal livelihoods and food security. Seagrass meadows have also been found to contribute to long-term carbon storage in coastal sediments. 

However, these ecosystems are under increasing pressure globally due to a combination of human-driven pressures and environmental change. REBORN addresses this challenge by developing and testing scalable restoration approaches that can be replicated across North-West Europe and beyond.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina), sometimes called “seagrass,” at Lilia Beach in Plouguerneau. Attribution: Olivier Dugornay (Ifremer), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Project Aims

REBORN aims to unlock large-scale seagrass restoration in North-West Europe as a Blue-Green Infrastructure and natural capital opportunity by: 

  • Testing a novel restoration model across approximately 15 hectares at pilot sites across North-West Europe in collaboration with 250 community members
  • Supporting the uptake and scaling of seagrass restoration on up to 50,000 hectares across the region
  • Strengthening long-term governance and policy frameworks for seagrass restoration
  • Building the capacity of 40 organisations as seagrass restoration ambassadors
  • Engaging a broad multi-actor community in seagrass restoration efforts

SER-Europe is proud to be involved in:

  1. Developing a dedicated seagrass restoration module within the Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) programme in collaboration with the Sea Rangers Service
  2. Convening public authorities, research organisations, NGOs, businesses, and global seagrass networks to create shared restoration roadmaps
  3. Engaging coastal communities through Make A Difference Week and Restoration Community Days
  4. Implementing the Ecological Recovery Wheel and Social Benefits Wheel to provide robust evidence of restoration outcomes
  5. Ensuring pilot actions align with EU and international policy priorities, including the Nature Restoration Regulation

Through standards-based practice, community engagement, and policy alignment, SER-Europe works to ensure that seagrass restoration becomes a scalable, lasting contribution to coastal ecosystem recovery across Europe. 

Zostera noltii in the Swale, Kent. Attribution: Worsfold, Tim CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Diver observing a bed of eelgrass (Zostera marina) along the French coast. Attribution: Olivier Dugornay CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Project Partners

REBORN unites 11 partners across North-West Europe, including SER-Europe, and:

  1. University of Groningen (Lead Partner) – Netherlands
  2. Sea Rangers Service – Netherlands
  3. Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) – Netherlands
  4. Office Français de la Biodiversité – France
  5. RSBE2 Laboratory, Nantes Université – France
  6. University of Galway – Ireland
  7. Natural Capital Ireland – Ireland
  8. Lower Saxon Department for Water, Coastal and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) – Germany
  9. Alfred Wegener institute – Germany
  10. Universiteit Gent – Belgium