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.

A fisher stands in the sea with a fishing rod.

The underwater meadows sustaining millions in extreme poverty

The first large-scale analysis of its kind estimates that at least 18 million people living in poverty across the Indo-Pacific fish in seagrass meadows. Around 6.5 million may depend entirely on these overlooked habitats for fishing and subsistence.  Researchers warn that seagrass decline could deepen hunger, economic insecurity, and inequality

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Blades of Enhalus acoroides stand upright in the water.

Mapping Indonesian seagrass quality to target blue carbon conservation

Not all of Indonesia’s seagrass meadows are faring alike. A study has revealed substantial spatial differences in the condition of 21 seagrass meadows across central and eastern Indonesia, providing a clearer picture of where ecosystems are thriving (hotspots), under stress (coldspots) or undergoing ecological change (outliers). But why does this

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Fish swim through a seagrass meadow.

Project Seagrass recognised as an Independent Research Organisation

Project Seagrass has been granted Independent Research Organisation status. This is an important milestone for Project Seagrass, but more importantly, it is a milestone for seagrass science. Since 2013, Project Seagrass has worked tirelessly to build a different kind of conservation organisation. One that is rooted in science, grounded in

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Ruppia maritima

A resilient native seagrass species could help reshape coastal restoration

Seagrasses are among the most important foundation species in coastal ecosystems, providing habitat for marine life, stabilising sediments, and helping improve water quality. Yet nearly 20% of the world’s historic seagrass cover has been lost, and efforts to restore these vital underwater meadows often face significant challenges. In Florida’s Indian

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A school of Bogue swim above a seagrass meadow

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026

Are you an early-career researcher interested in seagrass conservation, people–nature relationships, and the future of coastal sustainability? Project Seagrass is keen to hear from potential applicants to the 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships programme. We welcome ideas spanning climate resilience, restoration ecology, water quality, biodiversity, blue carbon, genetics and connectivity,

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A drone shot shows volunteers wading in the seagrass meadow in Ryde. Volunteers are wearing bright orange tops. Ryde pier is in the background.

Celebrating another successful seed collection in the Solent

This summer, members of the Project Seagrass team were on the Isle of Wight as part of our annual seagrass seed collection efforts: Seed Collections This year, our seagrass seed collections on the Isle of Wight took place in Yarmouth and Ryde. Seeds were collected through a combination of SCUBA

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Seagrass Ocean Rescue: Solent — establishing the foundations for seagrass restoration and conservation across the Solent

Between 2022 and 2025, the Seagrass Ocean Rescue: Solent project brought together scientists, practitioners, stakeholders, and local communities to explore the potential for seagrass restoration and conservation across the Solent. Funded by WWF and delivered in partnership with Project Seagrass, Swansea University, and Liz Earle, the project laid critical foundations

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A dugong eating seagrass in the Red Sea, Egypt
Dugong

Seagrass loss leaves Thailand’s dugongs struggling to survive

This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. The author is Siripannee Supratya. Siripannee Supratya (Noina) is a Thai journalist focusing on the environment, science, laws and socio-political happenings. In addition to her journalism work, she is a creative communicator and a professional diver. She is on

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Someone crouched on the beach is taking a photo of seagrass to upload to SeagrassSpotter
Citizen science

Community, Connection, Conservation: latest SeagrassSpotter Updates

The Project Seagrass team have been busy working on a range of new features within SeagrassSpotter. Since our last major update in 2023, we have been working to further enhance your experience when participating in the programme and are super excited to share the latest developments. In response to your

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Coldplay Ticket Competition, Photo Credit Anna Lee
Coldplay

And the winners are… Coldplay Competition winners announced

Earlier this year, Project Seagrass launched a creative competition in collaboration with our official patrons, Coldplay. The competition invited entrants to submit inspiring, impactful, and creative designs communicating one of the following five themes: 1. The importance of seagrass 2. Seagrass and people 3. Seagrass around the world 4. Seagrass

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Seaweed being grown along a line.
Global Seagrass Challenge

Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to vital marine life

Seaweed farming is a rapidly expanding global industry. As a food resource, it has high nutritional value and doesn’t need fertilisers to grow. Seaweed provides valuable habitats for marine life, takes up carbon and absorbs nutrients, plus it helps protect our coastlines from erosion. Usually, seaweeds grow on hard, rocky surfaces. Yet, to

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