NEWS

NEWS

Keeping you up to date with Project Seagrass news and views with a mixture of field notes and commentary on seagrass and marine conservation topics.

Four photographs of H. Stipulacea arranged in a grid format.

Invasive seagrass species discovered in Biscayne Bay

An invasive species of seagrass has been on a steady march across the world, taking over ecosystems well beyond its native waters of the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Scientists have long wondered when it would reach the waters off the coast of Florida. Florida International University scientists

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Finstown seagrass seed collection as part of the Restoration Forth August summer seed collection in Orkney.

Project Update: Restoration Forth August 2024

Restoration Forth aims to restore seagrass meadows and native oysters into the Firth of Forth, to create a healthier coastline for people and nature.   Find out more about the project here.  Restoration Forth August Fieldwork | Seagrass highlights from Orkney The seagrass team are not long back from Orkney, where

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3 divers are in the sea in Porthdinllaen

Fieldwork notes from our summer seed collections

Read our fieldwork notes from our summer seagrass seed collection: North Wales Seed Collection A brilliant start to our annual seed collections, with summer finally arriving right on time! The weather has been fantastic, with underwater visibility not too far off 10m, and not a drop of rain so far…

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Underwater seagrass seed harvester – Support our Crowdfunder!

Seagrass meadows are essential for the health of our oceans. They provide vital habitats for marine life, improve water quality, and store significant amounts of carbon. Unfortunately, these vital ecosystems are in decline. Here at Project Seagrass, we are on a mission to restore seagrass meadows to help create a

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A ray swims through a seagrass meadow.

Scientists and rangers share knowledge to restore seagrass

Scientists from The University of Western Australia have partnered with Indigenous rangers on a seagrass restoration project in Gathaagudu (Shark Bay) to help moderate climate change and conserve biodiversity. Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair and Professor Gary Kendrick, from UWA’s School of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, were co-authors of the paper published in Ocean

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The image shows seagrass growing next to an area of development in Mexico. There is a hotel on the seafront.

Seagrasses filter human pathogens in marine waters

An international team of researchers discovered that coastal urban seagrass ecosystems can significantly reduce human bacterial pathogens, including those with widespread antibiotic resistance, in marine bivalves—a vital food source for people around the world. The study, published Aug 2 in the journal Nature Sustainability, sheds light on the significant role seagrass meadows play

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Bob is standing on Porthdinllaen beach wearing a dryrobe. He has his hands in his pockets.

Seagrass Ocean Rescue Volunteer Profile: Bob

As our 2024 seagrass seed collection in North Wales draws to a close we spoke to Seagrass Ocean Rescue volunteer Bob Pethers about his experience of volunteering as part of the project. Tell us a little bit about yourself: I’m Bob Pethers, originally from London but have lived and worked

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A member of the Restoration Forth is crouched on the beach. They are holding a ruler and a clipboard as they record data as part of the monitoring of seagrass shoots.

Project Update: Restoration Forth | July 2024

Restoration Forth aims to restore seagrass meadows and native oysters into the Firth of Forth, to create a healthier coastline for people and nature.   Find out more about the project here.  Seagrass – the outcome of monitoring Back in March, 128 volunteers helped Restoration Forth plant more seagrass seeds along

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Scientists outline 10 golden rules for seagrass restoration

196 of the world’s nations are committed under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to tackling nature loss. Habitat restoration is a major pathway to tackling this loss. For marine habitats such as seagrass, such restoration is often portrayed as an easy answer to fighting many of our planetary ills causing

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Seagrass at Saya De Malha Bank in the Indian Ocean.
BBNJ Treaty

Why the BBNJ Treaty Matters for Seagrass

The BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) Treaty is critical for protecting and enhancing seagrass. Most of the world’s seagrass is within national jurisdictions; however, in some locations, such as the Saya De Malha Bank in the Indian Ocean, seagrass is located beyond any national jurisdiction. This means it’s not legally

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Advanced Sustainable Mooring System with monitoring devices
Advanced Sustainable Mooring Systems

The new mooring systems supporting the Solent’s seagrass

An innovative cross-sector partnership between Project Seagrass, Blue Parameters, and WarrenBoats has enabled the installation of two Advanced Sustainable Mooring Systems (ASMS) at Seaview on the Isle of Wight, relieving pressure on the Island’s important seagrass habitats. Seagrass meadows play a critical role in keeping our oceans healthy and are

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Pollack and Cod in an Orcadian seagrass meadow
biodiversity

Exploring the secrets within Orkney’s seagrass meadows

Around the archipelago of Orkney, are some of the UK’s most pristine seagrass meadows.  With numerous sheltered bays, low numbers of inhabitants, and crystal-clear waters, Orkney’s shores provide the ideal conditions for seagrass. However, much remains unknown about these important ecosystems.  The Highland Park funded Sjogras Partnership was established to

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Project Seagrass members of staff stand in a row planting seagrass seeds within quadrats. They are using the DIS planting method. It is early morning and the sun is only just beginning to rise.
Global Seagrass Challenge

SeagrassRestorer launch marks new era of global collaboration for seagrass restoration

Following its World Ocean Day launch, everyone from scientists to conservationists, and from community groups to environmental funders now have access to an innovative new knowledge sharing platform: SeagrassRestorer.  Launched by an international partnership comprising some of the world’s leading seagrass scientists, SeagrassRestorer provides a unique opportunity to learn not

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