The dramatic landscape beneath our seas...

The explorer and BBC Oceans presenter Paul Rose attended to the "Hidden Worlds beneath the waves" conference in Hull that seeked to bring the UK’s unknown underwater landscapes into the public eye.

Rose, who spent ten years on a survey in Antarctica and has crossed the Greenland Icecaps, joined marine awareness organisations in a bid to raise awareness of the urgent need for protection of the UK’s marine landscapes. 

Beneath the UK’s oceans, elegant seahorses drift through meadows of seagrass, luminous plankton light up the deep, and dogfish hunt above smooth sand dunes that undulate for miles and miles. Most of us get only a small glimpse of the undersea landscape when the tide recedes and we can frolic in rock pools and stroll on the sand, shingle or mudflats. Often the beauty of the seabed - as well as its intrinsic value to human beings – is not realised. As well as being vital to the fishing and tourism industries, if our marine ecosystems collapsed, there would be serious consequences for us all. Undersea landscapes set the scene for these ecosystems to thrive.

 “Regional landscapes in the UK vary as much beneath the ocean as they do on land. Off the coast of Yorkshire alone can be found rocky reefs, beds of brittle stars, secret, silent caves and even submerged villages.” Said Rob Stoneman, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

 “We are hoping that when marine awareness organisations come together at this conference, we can find new ways to inspire people about this amazing, and vitally important living landscape under the sea.”

Coastnet, which has jointly host the “Hidden Worlds Beneath the Waves” conference with The Wildlife Trusts, works with international bodies to help protect the marine environment - and those communities of people and species - which depend upon it.

Theresa Redding, network manager at CoastNet, said: “This conference brings together a wide range of people involved in raising awareness of our coasts and seas. It is about sharing ideas and materials to further the marine cause. In support, CoastNet has launched its National Marine Education Network – including an online forum and Good Practice Directory – on www.coastnet.org/home_CMEN .”