About our Seagrass
What's so special about Seagrass?
Seagrass is Special
Seagrass is special for several reasons:
Carbon Sequestration: Seagrass ecosystems are highly efficient at capturing and storing carbon in the form of “blue carbon”. They store carbon in the sediments below the seabed and can sequester it for thousands of years.
Biodiversity: Seagrass provides habitat for a diverse range of species, including fish, sea turtles, and dugongs.
Coastal Protection: Seagrass meadows help protect coastlines from erosion by stabilizing sediments and reducing wave energy.
Water Quality: Seagrass filters nutrients and pollutants from the water, improving water quality and clarity.
Climate Regulation: Seagrass can also help regulate the Earth’s climate by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis.
Overall, seagrass is a vital component of marine ecosystems and plays a critical role in mitigating climate change, preserving biodiversity, and supporting human livelihoods.
Interesting facts
Here are some interesting facts about seagrass:
Oldest Flowering Plant: Seagrass is one of the oldest flowering plant species, with a fossil record dating back to the early Cenozoic Era (about 65 million years ago).
Underwater Forests: Seagrass meadows are often referred to as “underwater forests” due to their dense canopy of leaves and the variety of species they support.
Critical Habitat: Seagrass provides critical habitat for numerous species, including commercially important fish and invertebrates.
Carbon Storage: Seagrass ecosystems can store up to ten times more carbon per unit area than tropical forests, making them one of the most effective blue carbon ecosystems.
Threatened Ecosystem: Despite their importance, seagrass meadows are declining rapidly due to human activities such as coastal development, pollution, and climate change.
Economic Value: Seagrass provides a range of ecosystem services that support human livelihoods, including coastal protection, water filtration, and nursery habitats for commercial fisheries.
Little-known: Despite their ecological significance, seagrass meadows are often overlooked and not widely known, even among marine conservationists.
Why Is It Degrading?
Seagrass in Australia is degrading due to several reasons, including:
Coastal Development: Human activities, such as coastal development, can lead to habitat destruction and degradation of seagrass meadows. This can be due to physical damage from construction, dredging, and coastal armoring, as well as increased nutrient and sediment runoff from urban areas.
Climate Change: Rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and increased frequency of extreme weather events associated with climate change are having negative impacts on seagrass health and survival.
Pollution: Runoff from agriculture, urban areas, and industry can introduce pollutants and excess nutrients into the marine environment, leading to declines in water quality and harm to seagrass and other marine organisms.
Overfishing: Overfishing can remove important herbivores that help maintain the structure of seagrass meadows and prevent the overgrowth of macroalgae that can outcompete seagrass.
Eutrophication: Increased nutrient inputs from human activities can lead to eutrophication, which can trigger algal blooms that shade and smother seagrass, reducing its growth and survival.
These factors combined are causing declines in seagrass coverage and health, and negatively impacting the numerous ecosystem services that seagrass provides to the marine environment and human society.
What is Australia doing?
Australia is promoting the conservation and restoration of seagrass habitats to help mitigate climate change by capturing and storing carbon in the form of “blue carbon”. The country is also conducting research on the carbon sequestration potential of seagrass ecosystems and promoting their recognition as valuable carbon sinks. Additionally, the government is working with communities and industries to raise awareness of the importance of seagrass for carbon storage and the role it plays in mitigating climate change.
Government Initiates
The Australian government provides several initiatives to promote the conservation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems:
Research and Monitoring: Funding research to improve understanding of the role of blue carbon ecosystems in the carbon cycle and their potential to mitigate climate change.
Conservation and Restoration: Supporting the conservation and restoration of seagrass habitats, and other blue carbon ecosystems, through funding and partnerships with organisations, local governments, and communities.
Awareness Raising: Raising awareness of the importance of blue carbon ecosystems for carbon storage and mitigating climate change, through education and outreach programs, and collaboration with industry and community groups.
Policy and Regulation: Developing policies and regulations to protect and conserve blue carbon ecosystems, including through marine conservation planning and coastal zone management.
Carbon Markets: Exploring the potential for blue carbon to be included in carbon markets and offset schemes to provide economic incentives for their conservation and restoration.
So, What's the plan?
Seabed Watch can assist by:
Implementing restoration activities: The organisation can implement seagrass restoration activities such as planting and transplanting seagrass, as well as protecting and conserving existing meadows.
Verifying carbon credits: The organisation can verify the carbon credits generated from seagrass restoration activities through third-party certification, ensuring that the carbon credits are real, additional, and permanent.
Trading carbon credits: The verified carbon credits can be traded in carbon markets and offset schemes, providing an economic incentive for seagrass restoration and conservation efforts.
By restoring seagrass meadows and conserving existing habitats, we can help mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon and providing a valuable service to the global community.