Seagrass Meadows
Table of Contents
Introduction
"Seagrass communities are highly productive and dynamic ecosystems. Seagrasses are not true grasses but rooted vascular (flowering) plants of terrestrial origin that have successfully returned to the sea. This return needs several adaptations that allow them to live in submerged ocean regions. The sediments where they settle on can be muddy, rocky or sandy. Seagrass ecosystems are species-rich and include endangered species such as dugongs and seahorses. They are important for the geomorphology and ecology of coastal ecosystems through processes such as stabilizing sediments, recycling nutrients and providing the base of the oceanic detrital food webs. Although seagrasses cover only 0.15% of the oceans, they represent more than 1 percent of the total marine primary production, potentially acting as a sink for CO2 [1]. Currently, they are facing many threats, due to human activities and natural causes [2] "
Major Threats
Livestock Manure
Human Sewage
Fertilizer from farmland, gardens, and golf courses.
Phytoplankton blooms reduce the amount of available light that will allow seagrass to grow.
What Happens to Animal Waste? "The amount of animal waste produced by livestock and poultry in factory farms is almost 13 times more than that produced by the entire US population. Where does all of this waste end up?"
"Some of the watersheds that carried the most pollution to the ocean included the Yangtze, the Danube, the Nile, the Mississippi, and the Parana River."
Benefits of Seagrass
Acidification Reduction
Solutions
Livestock Alternatives
By reducing our consumption of animal products, animal agriculture can scale back, producing less of the chemicals currently killing off ecosystems including seagrass meadows.
Ocean-Friendly Toilets & Sewage Systems
Out-of-date sewage and septic systems are polluting our rivers and other ecosystems. By updating existing systems to handle our new population levels, and expanding sewage technology to places that don't have them, we can help protect our planet's ecosystems.
Reduce Run Off
When we avoid using excessive fertilizers and find alternatives to pesticides or herbicides we can protect both terrestrial and aquatic species.
Run off can also include oil from vehicles or landscaping equipment, dirt, and various chemicals. Run off can carry poison, or nutrients which cause algae blooms which rob waters of light and oxygen, which can cause localized extinction events.
Solutions can include the following:
Restoration & Rewilding
Nature sometimes needs a little help, especially after all the different types of pollution, extraction, and various harms we introduce to ecoystems. By learning about restoration techniques and joining or starting you own local organizations you can help protect and rebuild ecosystems including seagrass meadows.
Scroll down for seagrass specific restoration techniques, guides, groups and more!
Restoration Techniques
"Seagrass restoration can be performed with seedlings and seeds. Transplantation of seagrass shoots have been used for restoration with differing degrees of success, but this method has been shown to be expensive and labour intensive. As planting represents a large proportion of the costs associated with restoration, developing cost-effective new planting methods would reduce the costs, and seeds are more practical for large-scale restoration. However, seed-based restoration has had variable success (less than 10 % recruitment) because the processes controlling seed establishment and early seedling survival are relatively poorly understood. Unlike terrestrial planting applications where the soil and environmental conditions necessary for successful seed germination and growth are well known, we are only beginning to make progress toward understanding the requirements for successful seed germination of underwater plants." - Eduardo Infantes: Summary of Effective Eelgrass Seed Techniques in Sweden
Sand-Capping
Promising Results for Eelgrass Restoration Using Sand-Capping "This spring, excavators spread tonnes of sand on the seafloor outside a small island on the Bohus coast in an attempt to improve living conditions for eelgrass. Now, the follow-up study shows that the eelgrass shoots have more than doubled."
Sand Capping to Promote Eelgrass Restoration page includes a video and photos.
Species
Always check the native range of species before introducing/using them in a project. Introducing invasive species often causes more harm than good!
Ruppia maritima "is an aquatic plant species commonly known as beaked tasselweed, beaked ditchgrass,[citation needed] ditch grass, tassel pondweed and widgeon grass.[2] Despite its scientific name, it is not a marine plant; is perhaps best described as a salt-tolerant freshwater species.[3]..."
"It can be found throughout the world, most often in coastal areas, where it grows in brackish water bodies, such as marshes. It is a dominant plant in a great many shoreline regions. It does not grow well in turbid water or low-oxygen substrates.[4]"
"This plant and the epiphytic algae attached to the floating leaves can be an important part of the diet for selected herbivorous waterfowl species, but not important for predatory waterfowl that eat fish or invertebrate animals. In many areas, wetlands restoration begins with the recovery and protection of this plant.[10]"- WikipediaZostera marina (eelgrass) click here for a page about the species you can find in eelgrass beds
Zostera noltii "is a species of seagrass known by the common name dwarf eelgrass. It is found in shallow coastal waters in north western Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Aral Sea and on islands in the Atlantic off the coast of northwest Africa. It is an important part of the intertidal and shallow subtidal ecosystems of estuaries, bays and lagoons." - Wikipedia
Halodule wrightii (shoal grass)
Syringodium filiforme (manatee grass)
Oceana
Australia
Tasmanian Artist Helps Save a Species: Spotted Handfish
4:02 minute video showing how an artist has helped handfish by providing safe places to spawn after the specie's habitat was badly damaged.
Spotted handfish rely on vertical objects including stalked ascidians, sponges, and seagrasses to lay their eggs, where they will stay to protect the egg masses for 7-8 weeks.
Resources & Guides
Asia
Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration Guidelinesfor the Western Indian Ocean Region (PDF) "The guidelines comprise best practice approaches and methodologies for seagrass restoration and is based on a thorough review of global scientific and grey literature on seagrass restoration methods and documented experiences from experimental, small-scale pilot projects and large-scale restoration programs around the world.
The guideline has been tailored for practical applicability (fit-for-purpose) to the WIO region by considering locally relevant drivers of seagrass decline, dominant seagrass species, environmental settings, management context, logistic and economic constraints specific to the WIO region, and three case studies from within the region. "
Europe
Handbook for Restoration of Eelgrass in Sweden (PDF) "This manual provides a detailed guideline to eelgrass restoration and addresses all important steps in the restoration process, from site evaluation and selection, consultation and permitting, harvesting and planting, to monitoring and evaluation of results. The methodology is primarily developed for the conditions along the Swedish west coast, but parts can also be applicable in the Baltic Sea and other areas in northern Europe after the methods have been investigated there. The manual forms part of the action program for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive..."
Sweden
Eduardo Infantes: Summary of Effective Eelgrass Seed Techniques in Sweden
Handbook for Restoration of Eelgrass in Sweden (PDF) "This manual provides a detailed guideline to eelgrass restoration and addresses all important steps in the restoration process, from site evaluation and selection, consultation and permitting, harvesting and planting, to monitoring and evaluation of results. The methodology is primarily developed for the conditions along the Swedish west coast, but parts can also be applicable in the Baltic Sea and other areas in northern Europe after the methods have been investigated there. The manual forms part of the action program for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive..."
Planting Considerations for Living Shorelines
"This video (18:36) covers important considerations for planting shoreline vegetation in Florida. This video is made for marine contractors and other shoreline restoration practitioners in Florida, but anyone interested in living shorelines would benefit from watching it."
UK
Scotland
SMEEF Restoration Toolkit "Whether you are starting your first coastal or marine restoration or enhancement project, or have been working on an established programme, this toolkit aims to guide you through the maze of supporting information available.
Each section covers the key facts and there are links to the latest advice. The Toolkit also enables you to create a bespoke action list for your group.
Please note this toolkit is a live document and will be updated regularly. If you believe there may be something missing or incorrect, please email us..."
North America
Belize
Seagrass Conservation & Protection in Belize (PDF) "Guidelines for management, conservation and protection"
Seagrass Nurseries & Labs
Europe
Sweden
Kristineberg Center for Marine Research & Innovation "Around Kristineberg station there are several meadows, and eelgrass can be harvested outside of the piers by snorkeling or scuba diving.
Experiments can be performed in outdoor and indoor experiments with seawater that is continuously pumped from the fjord (seawater flow-through). Outdoor tanks can be used to store eelgrass flower or reproductive shoots and collect seeds. Indoor mesocosms can be used to expose seeds and seedlings to different environmental conditions or stressors (e.g., light, temperature, pH, waves, currents, salinity, nutrients, etc)." Click here to learn more about their projects and activities.
"The Seagrass Ecology Lab at Kristineberg offers modern marine research laboratories with unique facilities to perform field and laboratory scientific activities."
North America
USA
Florida Atlantic University: Harbor Branch "The FAU Harbor Branch research team is conducting experiments that will lead to further improvements in the nursery such as optimizing seagrass productivity in the nursery, enhancing sediment constituents and other media in the nursery tanks, and boosting the frequency and magnitude of harvesting planting units, with the goal of maximizing the annual production of planting units.
The researchers also will continue to explore the genetic diversity of the Indian River Lagoon seagrasses and how that diversity might be best used to support seagrass restoration in the lagoon, including selection of strains that have favorable traits such as rapid growth and broader environmental tolerance."Restore Our Shores "With seagrass loss continuing and needing to address the issue, Restore Our Shores (ROS) partnered with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute to design, build, and operate a seagrass nursery in Melbourne Beach. The nursery will grow seagrasses for planting in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and be maintained with volunteer support.
There are seven kinds of seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon, and the nursery will grow out all IRL seagrass species but focus on Halodule wrightii for restoration plantings. The nursery supports tanks for both large-scale grow-out and separate, smaller tanks for research, for use by both the ROS team and our partners. ROS aims to open additional nurseries in the future to further the goal of seagrass restoration in the IRL."
Projects & Programs
Europe
Portugal
Cambalhao Bay: Sado Estuary of Setúbal "SeaTrees is collaborating with Ocean Alive to protect a naturally emerging seagrass meadow at Cambalhao Bay in Portugal's Sado Estuary by engaging local "Seagrass Guardian" ambassadors. This project will fund the official scientific mapping of the meadow and the associated costs of community engagement, education, and training. The goal is to mitigate the harmful impacts of anchoring and navigation in the area."
Spain
SeaTrees: Restore Seagrass and Algae "With your support - we work with the MedGardens project of The Cleanwave Foundation to holistically restore the seagrass and macroalgae ecosystems surrounding the well-known tourist destination of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. Years of disruption caused by boat traffic and less than adequate boating guidelines have led to the destruction of these critical ecosystems, and with your support, we can bring them back and help them thrive for years to come."
UK
Aviva Community Fund: Project Seagrass "is a global facing environmental charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through scientific research, community engagement and action on the ground. All of our work rests on these three pillars and supports our aim of saving the world’s seagrass."
Scotland
Seawilding: Seagrass Restoration "Seawilding is pioneering Scotland’s first community-led seagrass marine restoration at Loch Craignish and between 2021-2022, we have planted approx. 1/2 hectare of seagrass and in 2023, we plan to plant many more."
Wales
Seagrass Ocean Rescue working along the Llŷn Peninsula.
North America
USA
Florida
Restore Our Shores: Seagrass Pilot Project "Brevard Zoo has partnered with seagrass restoration experts for more than five years, learning techniques for growing, planting and monitoring seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon. ..."
"This small pilot project paved the way to our increased seagrass restoration work, which includes planting 24 seagrass beds throughout the lagoon this year. ..."
Texas
Texas Seagrass Monitoring Program "evaluates seagrass conditions based on landscape-scale dynamics, including a hierarchical strategy to establish the quantitative relationships between physical and biotic parameters that control seagrass condition, distribution, and persistence.
This project is conducted by scientists and graduate students at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute (data collection and synthesis) and The University of Texas at Austin Center for Water and the Environment (Dr. Tim Whiteaker, data management) under the direction of Dr. Ken Dunton. All fieldwork and data collection are currently led by Ph.D. Candidate Kyle Capistrant-Fossa. All data are collected, processed and synthesized with funding provided by sponsors."
Oceana
Australia
OZ Fish: Seagrass Restoration "Find out about what OzFish is doing to reverse that trend and restore healthy seagrass in locations across Australia."
Organizations
Europe
MedGardens "Regenerate Mediterranean underwater forests."
OSPAR "is the mechanism by which 15 Governments & the EU cooperate to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.
OSPAR started in 1972 with the Oslo Convention against dumping and was broadened to cover land-based sources of marine pollution and the offshore industry by the Paris Convention of 1974. These two conventions were unified, up-dated and extended by the 1992 OSPAR Convention. The new annex on biodiversity and ecosystems was adopted in 1998 to cover non-polluting human activities that can adversely affect the sea.
The fifteen Governments are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
OSPAR is so named because of the original Oslo and Paris Conventions ("OS" for Oslo and "PAR" for Paris)."
Spain
MedGardens "Regenerate Mediterranean underwater forests."
Sweden
ZORRO "is an interdisciplinary research program where marine ecologists, oceanographers, ecotoxicologists, environmental lawyers and environmental economists collaborate on issues related to the management and restoration of eelgrass ecosystems. The work is also carried out in close association with various authorities.
Among other things, Zorro has produced national guidelines for restoration and ecological compensation of eelgrass, a national action plan for eelgrass and over 40 scientific publications and popular science articles."
UK
Scotland
Seawilding "based at Loch Craignish, Argyll, is the UK's first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project. Our aim is to restore lost biodiversity, sequester carbon, and to create green jobs. We're pioneering low-cost, best-practice marine habitat restoration methodologies and empowering other coastal communities to do the same."
North America
USA
NEMESIS "Welcome to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS). Here you will find information on marine and estuarine invertebrates and algae introduced to the United States."
Florida
Restore Our Shores: Seagrass "For more than a decade the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) has experienced extensive seagrass loss. Seagrass coverage and distribution is an important indicator of lagoon health, and its growth and survival and are an important part of IRL restoration.
According to a recent report by the IRL National Estuary Program, a single acre of seagrass can produce over 10 tons of leaves per year, providing food, habitat, and nursery areas for a myriad of adult and juvenile vertebrates and invertebrates. It may also support as many as 40,000 fish and 50 million small invertebrates."
Oceana
Australia
OZ Fish: Seagrass Restoration "Find out about what OzFish is doing to reverse that trend and restore healthy seagrass in locations across Australia."
Maps
International
Europe
UK
Wales
Seagrass Ocean Rescue scroll down and click the Seagrass Search Area Map to see sites along the southern side of Llŷn Peninsula.
North America
Belize
Seagrass Conservation & Protection in Belize (PDF) "Guidelines for management, conservation and protection" Includes multiple maps, including the ranges of mangroves, reefs, and seagrass meadows.
USA
Florida
Texas
Texas Seagrass Monitoring Program: Texas' Seagrasses includes a map "of four distinct genetic types in populations of Halodule wrightii sampled along the south Texas coast..."
Funding & Grants
Europe
UK
Scotland
SMEEF Restoration Toolkit "Whether you are starting your first coastal or marine restoration or enhancement project, or have been working on an established programme, this toolkit aims to guide you through the maze of supporting information available.
Each section covers the key facts and there are links to the latest advice. The Toolkit also enables you to create a bespoke action list for your group.
Please note this toolkit is a live document and will be updated regularly. If you believe there may be something missing or incorrect, please email us..."
North America
USA
Florida
Florida Sea Grant "is a university-based program that supports research, education and extension to conserve coastal resources for residents and visitors and enhance economic opportunities for the people of Florida."