Solent Research Needs

One of the core Solent Forum objectives is to improve sharing of the information base. We do this through our website, our Solent Information Database, Solent news service and the Solent Forum members meetings. We also fund student projects through our Professor Mike Clark Bursary Awards and we offer an annual student placement. The Solent Forum's Natural Environment Group (NEG) offers annual funding for environment related projects.

The Forum hosts a project tracker which can be used by external organisations to find projects around the Solent.

Solent Research Needs

As part of our annual members horizon scanning and wider work, we produce a list of research needs for the Solent. Below we have listed the needs being raised by the Solent's coastal community.

• Implementing small scale habitat restoration

• The impacts of algal mats on intertidal habitats and species

• Impacts of end of life abandoned GRP boats on the Solent's habitats and species

• Microplastic impacts on the Solent's designated habitats and species

• Green financing for habitat restoration

• Beneficial use of dredgings

• The impacts of informal coastal and marine recreational activities on the Solent's designated sites, especially paddlesports

• How to build biodiversity into coastal infrastructure

• The impacts of 'forever chemicals' and pharmaceuticals on the Solent's water quality

• Identifying and mapping bird sensitive areas (to recreational disturbance)

• Marine invasive species research and/or delivering biosecurity measures e.g. trialling settlement panels

• Implementing biodiversity net gain in the intertidal

• Impacts of marine heatwaves on the Solent's habitats and species

• Sustainable fisheries management including aquaculture

• Decarbonisation of marine transport and infrastructure

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