South West Marine Fest Conference 2026 - DAY 1

We invite you to join us for Day 1 of our annual Summer Conference, hosted by Conservation Chat UK Ltd.

As specialists in organising environmentally focused events, we’re dedicated to creating gatherings that place the natural world at the forefront, with a special focus on our local region, the Southwest of England.​

This event will feature an inspiring lineup of guest speakers involved in species conservation. If you share our passion for the environment, don’t miss this opportunity! The day will be packed with insightful presentations, engaging discussions, and valuable networking, tailored for conservation professionals, students, early-career researchers, and anyone passionate about the natural world.​

Light refreshments will be provided. To keep ticket costs affordable, we ask attendees to bring a packed lunch, and challenge you to make it plastic-free!

This will be an in-person event only, with a full refund policy in place if the event must be cancelled due to COVID-19.

Info: This talk reviews the major developments in marine conservation from May 2025 to May 2026—the good, the bad, and the unmistakably urgent. It highlights the year’s most encouraging progress, from advances in habitat restoration to expansions of protected areas and promising policy shifts. It then explores the challenges that defined the period, including continued pressure on fisheries and climate-driven disruptions across key ecosystems. Finally, it confronts the most concerning trends: accelerating biodiversity declines, extreme marine heatwaves, and setbacks in regulatory protections. Together, these insights offer a clear picture of how the ocean has changed over the past year and what actions are most crucial as we look ahead.

Info: Thea Taylor is a dedicated marine biologist and the Managing Director of the Sussex Dolphin Project. With a background in marine biology, Thea has built her career on understanding and protecting local cetacean populations. Her field experience spans from the Moray Firth in Scotland, where she worked as a research assistant and wildlife guide, to global projects studying cetacean distributions and population dynamics. Passionate about ecosystem restoration and community involvement, Thea champions citizen science initiatives that empower local people to help safeguard Sussex’s marine mammals and coastal habitats for future generations.

Info: This talk will provide a brief introduction to seagrass and its vital role in healthy marine ecosystems, setting the context for the Blue Meadows project led by the Ocean Conservation Trust. Following this overview, the focus will shift to what goes into effective advocacy and community engagement for seagrass protection and restoration. Drawing on real-world experience from Blue Meadows, the talk will explore how outreach, education, and collaboration with local communities and stakeholders help turn awareness into action. The session will highlight the challenges and opportunities of engaging diverse audiences and demonstrate how community-led advocacy plays a key role in supporting long-term seagrass recovery.

Info: Seagrass meadows have historically been the neglected heroes of our oceans, providing critical habitat for marine life, protecting coastlines and sequestering carbon. Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are periods of time, from days to months, where ocean temperatures become abnormally high, which causes marine organisms such as seagrass, to be pushed beyond its comfortable physiological limits. This study aims to investigate how heat-induced stress caused by fluctuating ocean temperatures such as marine heatwaves, impacts the health of the sub-tidal seagrass, Z. marina. This will be measured and analysed in an ex-situ environment, using chlorophyll fluorescence measurements of Fv/FM and ΦPSII values. This study would allow us to understand better the tolerance and barriers of temperature change that this seagrass can experience, before its photosynthetic ability becomes depleted, and whether the damage is a chronic impact or short-term functional responses.

Info: An exploration of Nature’s SAFE, preserving living cells to safeguard at-risk species and secure the future of global wildlife through advanced science.

Info: Join Coral for a fascinating introduction to the Devon Marine Strandings Network (MSN), part of Devon Wildlife Trust.

This talk will cover:

An introduction to Devon Wildlife Trust and the Marine Strandings Network

A summary and analysis of Devon’s 2025 strandings data

Notable strandings from the year and key post-mortem findings

The incredible volunteer network that makes this vital work possible

Discover how strandings data helps us understand the health of Devon’s marine environment — and how dedicated local volunteers play a crucial role in marine conservation.

Info: Following a two-week knowledge exchange programme in Kerala, India, The Lantern Research Group, a collective of early-career marine researchers, reflect on how international collaboration can benefit marine conservation. The team delivered workshops, lectures, and hands-on training in data collection and analysis to an interdisciplinary audience of students, researchers, and local stakeholders. This talk shares their early findings and explores how partnerships between the international scientific community and local communities can support more effective, integrated approaches to protecting the ocean.

Info: Alex is a Masters student in Sustainable Development with a passion for ocean conservation and a focus on socially just marine conservation and governance.

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She volunteers with the Marine Conservation Society, an environmental charity run by and for sea lovers, and will be happy to share more information and materials about their work during the day. 

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The charity is working toward a cleaner, better protected, healthier ocean: one we can all enjoy. Our main aims are to reduce ocean pollution, improve sustainable fishing, and protect marine habitats and wildlife. We do this through science, policy work, education, and community action. It’s all about creating a healthier ocean for people, wildlife, and future generations.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Brixham Laboratory, Freshwater Quarry, Brixham, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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