New World Ocean Council Series “Blue Horizons” Showcases Purina’s Commitment to Advance the Regeneration of Soil and Ocean Ecosystems
- The Blue Horizons Series has been produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and is available to view now
- Two episodes feature Purina Europe’s work to restore 1,500 hectares of marine habitats by 2030
- The final episode showcases Purina’s efforts to help farmers transition towards more regenerative agriculture practices
12 June 2024: Nestlé Purina is delighted to launch three episodes as part of the new Blue Horizons series, a brand new series presented by the World Ocean Council and produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions. Now available to watch, it includes three films showcasing Purina’s commitment to advancing the regeneration of soil and ocean ecosystems.
Overfishing, pollution and climate change have damaged nearly half of the world’s oceans, resulting in the dramatic loss of marine habitats. To help tackle this challenge, Purina Europe is partnering with experts to help restore multiple species, which provide vital habitats for marine life such as fish, which is part of Purina’s extended supply chain.
Episode 1: The Vital Role of Seagrass and Oysters in Ocean Health
In the Netherlands, Purina Europe is working with Oyster Heaven and The Seagrass Consortium, represented by founding partner Sea Ranger Service, to restore seagrass meadows. This episode shows how Oyster Heaven, a marine conservation organisation, is reconstructing lost oyster reefs. Oysters generate biodiversity, provide a home for a multitude of different species and improve water quality, allowing more sunlight to reach seagrass meadows, enabling them to flourish. It also features the social enterprise Sea Ranger Service, which is building solutions to plant seagrass meadows, along with Professor Dr Laura Govers of University of Groningen who is leading the research as part of The Seagrass Consortium. Seagrass is a key habitat-forming species, helping increase biodiversity and capturing carbon.
Episode 2: The Disappearing Kelp Forests
The second episode explores Purina Europe’s partnerships with Urchinomics and environmental impact company SeaForester to help restore seaweed (in this area, kelp) beds in Norway. An excess of sea urchins, caused by a reduction of their natural predators, has led to overgrazing of seaweed beds. Urchinomics is removing the excess urchins, while SeaForester is using techniques such as mobile seaweed nurseries to restore rapidly disappearing seaweed forests. This will help to restore seaweed which acts as a natural purifier of water, and also boost biodiversity in the area.
Episode 3: How Seaweed Could Transform Modern Farming
As part of Nestlé’s pledge to source 50% of its key ingredients from regenerative agriculture by 2030, Purina is exploring novel agricultural approaches. The company is supporting a consortium study, led by industry and scientific experts including Fera Science Ltd., to explore the role of seaweed-based bio-stimulants on soil health and plant performance. The third episode features the three-year study in action, showcasing the on-farm field trials with UK farmer Ben Hadingham, where the potential impact of the seaweed-based bio-stimulant is being tested on his cereal crops. The science behind the study, led by Dr Aoife Dillon from Fera Sciences, is also showcased.
The projects in the Netherlands and Norway form part of Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe’s wider Ocean Restoration Programme which launched this year. The aim is to restore 1,500 hectares – the equivalent of around 3,700 football pitches – of marine habitats by 2030. Through the programme, Purina Europe is partnering with a number of expert organisations that are working to restore species that provide critical marine habitats that are being lost.
Kerstin Schmeiduch, Director of Corporate Communications and Sustainability at Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe said: “The Blue Horizons series showcases our commitment to advance regeneration of soil and ocean ecosystems. As part of that, we are committed to addressing the biodiversity loss in our extended supply chain for fish by-products and have taken a multi-species approach to marine habitat restoration. With marine biodiversity declining dramatically, collective efforts are required to help drive restoration at scale.”
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