Dwarf Eelgrass Zostera noltei
Dwarf Eelgrass (Zostera noltei) is the smallest of Britain’s eelgrass species, forming low, dense mats on estuarine mudflats and sandflats in the intertidal zone. Like its larger relative, it provides important ecological services – stabilising sediment, sequestering carbon, and providing feeding habitat for overwintering wildfowl, particularly Brent Geese. Suffolk’s estuaries – including the Orwell, Stour, Deben, and Alde – support beds of Dwarf Eelgrass on suitable intertidal ground. Eelgrass beds declined severely during the twentieth century due to disease and water quality deterioration, and restoration of estuarine water quality and reduced physical disturbance are important for their recovery across the county. Image: © Sylvain Le Bris, iNaturalist.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora, Suffolk LNRS information page
Suffolk’s Priority Fern and Flowering Plant Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
