eprintid: 10200657 rev_number: 10 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/20/06/57 datestamp: 2024-11-26 11:48:00 lastmod: 2024-11-26 11:48:00 status_changed: 2024-11-26 11:48:00 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Grigg, Morwenna creators_name: Cucknell, Anna creators_name: Marten, Kerry creators_name: Cox, Thea creators_name: Yesson, Chris title: Habitat suitability modelling for restoration of intertidal seagrass, Zostera noltei: A case study from the Greater Thames Estuary, UK ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C08 divisions: D09 divisions: F99 keywords: Intertidal seagrass, Zostera noltei, Habitat suitability modelling, Species distribution modelling, Coastal habitat restoration, Greater Thames Estuary note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. abstract: Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that play crucial roles in blue carbon capture and coastal protection, as well as providing a critical feeding and nursery habitat for several species. However, the extent of seagrass meadows has drastically decreased around the UK coastline since the 1930s. As such, restoration of Zostera spp. seagrasses is a growing field for academics and practitioners, yet for Zostera noltei (dwarf eelgrass) in particular, restoration is hampered by knowledge of current distributions and where to restore. Habitat suitability modelling is a valuable tool for mapping and can be applied by practitioners at a site-specific scale to identify potential areas for restoration. Here we have created a Maximum Entropy (maxent) habitat suitability model to predict Z. noltei suitability in the Greater Thames Estuary based on seven environmental variables at a 10-m resolution within an intertidal boundary. Using areas of higher suitability to identify restoration potential, our results indicate 602.9 Ha of “good” suitable habitat for potential restoration around existing Z. noltei beds in the Thames, Medway and Swale Estuaries. Despite reasonable predictive accuracy, our model was limited by the availability, resolution and extent of important environmental variables such as sediment type. Nonetheless, we believe this is a valuable tool for practitioners in the initial stage of site selection at a local scale for Z. noltei restoration projects in the UK. date: 2025-01 date_type: published publisher: Elsevier BV official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109039 full_text_type: other language: eng verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2338586 doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109039 lyricists_name: Yesson, Christopher lyricists_id: CYESS52 actors_name: Yesson, Christopher actors_id: CYESS52 actors_role: owner full_text_status: restricted publication: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science volume: 312 article_number: 109039 citation: Grigg, Morwenna; Cucknell, Anna; Marten, Kerry; Cox, Thea; Yesson, Chris; (2025) Habitat suitability modelling for restoration of intertidal seagrass, Zostera noltei: A case study from the Greater Thames Estuary, UK. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science , 312 , Article 109039. 10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109039 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109039>. document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10200657/1/Griggetal-ECSS-Accepted2024.pdf