SECRETS OF THE SOLENT: A REFLECTION WITH HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT WILDLIFE TRUST WILDLIFE Anemone, Alex Tattersall From colossal marine murals to wildlife-saving Seabins, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s Secrets of the Solent project has achieved amazing things during its four-year duration. As the National Lottery supported project draws to a close, we reflect on its greatest achievements. Safeguarding the future of the Solent The life in our seas and around our coastlines is mesmerising, secretive and vital to our health and wellbeing. With increasing threats from human activity, habitat loss and climate change, our natural world has never been under more pressure. But in order to protect our amazing marine wildlife, we need data - and lots of it. Secrets of the Solent’s citizen science initiatives have pooled data collected by individual volunteers, transforming small actions into big results. Over the course of the project, the public have been encouraged to submit marine mammal sightings and document occurrences of seagrass, helping to expand knowledge of the locations of internationally important seagrass beds within the Solent. The project’s twelve annual intertidal surveys were incredibly popular, with over 179 volunteers taking part to be trained in marine biodiversity and intertidal surveying techniques. The surveys were vital in building evidence and monitoring populations of vulnerable species like the native oyster and non-native species like the Asian date mussel. In fact, they were so successful that BBC Countryfile featured a survey at Lepe in their episode titled ‘Plant Britain’ in mid-2022. Using art to inspire The Solent is home to a wealth of marine life seldom seen by visitors to the shore or even by those who live around it. From scythe-tailed thresher sharks to biofluorescent anemones, there is much hidden beneath the surface with the capacity to astonish and inspire. Over its 28 solenthandbook.com