At CGI UK we recognise our responsibility as a business to make a positive impact on the world around us. We're using our expertise from across the business to deliver sustainable solutions to our clients and understand the key role technology plays in a sustainable future for all. From seabed to space, we’re making a difference. It’s why we've committed to net-zero carbon emissions in the UK by 2026, why we're a founding partner of Get Nature Positive, and why we're proud be in a partnership with Project Seagrass to support their essential marine restoration and preservation work.

What is Project Seagrass?

Project Seagrass is an environmental charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through education, influence, research and action. As a team of dedicated seagrass scientists, they support marine restoration, conservation and the protection of seagrass, recognising its importance in biodiversity, planetary life support and the climate crisis that affects us all.

Project Seagrass logo

Our work together

At CGI we’ve used our skills and resources as a leading IT and business consulting services company to deliver an innovative pro-bono project to Project Seagrass.

CGI and Project Seagrass have developed an open-source algorithm that helps locate, quantify, and track seagrass meadows, initially across the UK region. The algorithm delivers insights using the CGI GeoData360 Earth Observation Platform, leveraging data from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Satellite Earth Observation Mission.

These insights will be used by Project Seagrass to aid conservation and local activities to preserve and restore this valuable carbon sink resource. The algorithm is open-source to maximise the benefit, supporting academic and government plans to increase CO2 consumption by improving the health and volume of the UK’s coastal seagrass.

 

CGI and Project Seagrass celebrated the first-ever United Nations World Seagrass Day in March. Experts discussed the incredible role seagrass plays in protecting our planet and what the CGI and Project Seagrass partnership is doing to help.

 

Listen to the recording

World Seagrass Day LinkedIn Live
By working in partnership with CGI, we’ve been able to bring new cutting-edge remote sensing technology and expertise into our seagrass restoration work. Together we’re learning more about the amazing marine life of the UK. We’ve also been fortunate to benefit from CGI’s financial assistance too and their support for STEM education. It’s a pleasure working with this professional team.

Richard Unsworth Founding Director, Project Seagrass

CGI member and Project Seagrass member looking at seagrass

CGI volunteering

As a Platinum Sponsor of Project Seagrass we're adopting a patch of seagrass and planting 50 bags of seagrass seeds at a suitable habitat in Wales.

Our members have taken our commitments a step further by taking part in a variety of hands-on activities including the measuring, grinding, and cleaning of seagrass samples to determine the health of seagrass meadows. This work is vital for seagrass planting and allows for the preparation of bags with sand and natural sediment which serve as the foundation for the seagrass to grow. 

One of the major causes for seagrass decline is pollution. CGI combat this through detecting sewage overspills from space, and on-the ground beach and river clean ups. We've planned eight clean-ups of UK beaches and rivers during World Seagrass Month to protect marine life from harmful waste and rubbish which endanger marine ecosystems and cause further pollution through the chemical release from litter decomposition.

Education and awareness

Seagrass ecosystems globally can consume carbon up to 35 times faster than rainforests - but this isn't widely known. Eager to spread the word, we worked with Project Seagrass on a joint STEM from home pack to teach children about the carbon capturing superpower of seagrass. We're proud to raise awareness of seagrass and the important role it plays as we support the next generation and provide them with key opportunities to develop their understanding of STEM subjects. Together, we are building a sustainable future.

 

“Seagrass is a very important and often unknown source of CO2 consumption for the UK and should be preserved." - Tara McGeehan, President of CGI UK and Australia

CGI and Project Seagrass STEM from Home pack