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.

Starting the Seagrass and Dugong fightback

  The Dugong (Dugong dugon) is IUCN Red listed as Vulnerable, in many of the 46 range states that contain Dugong its status is a lot worse. Historic hunting, loss of its seagrass habitat and the impacts of by-catch have been the primary causes of its decline. Back in 2007 the

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Registration for the 12th International Seagrass Biology Workshop is Now Open!

The International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW) is the only international meeting specifically tailored to seagrass scientists, professionals and students. Abstract submissions are now open as are proposals for workshops. All payment is via PayPal using credit/debit cards. There is one registration fee. It covers access to all parts of the conference program, including the

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Learning to protect seagrass in the heart of the Coral triangle.

  Indonesia is at the heart of the Coral Triangle, an area characterised by having the World’s highest marine biodiversity. With over 17000 islands, 51,00km2 of coral reef and at least 30000 km2 of seagrass its marine life is extensive and spectacular. But with a growing population, rapidly expanding GDP,

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Puttalam Lagoon – Paradise Lost?

At the end of August I spent 10 days conducting fieldwork in Pattalam Lagoon, which is situated in the north west of Sri Lanka. The purpose of my visit to Puttalam Lagoon was to set up socio-economic and fish landings surveys with a research collaborator, who will now complete the

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Zostera marina seagrass meadows with a snakelocks anemone
biodiversity

Snakelocks anemone: Creatures that call seagrass home

In a new blog series, our Conservation Trainee Abi David explores some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass meadows their home. The snakelocks anemone is a funny looking creature commonly found around the UK. They have up to 200 long, wavy tentacles and can grow on average to about

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Members of Project Seagrass staff are planting seagrass seeds using DIS guns. They are planting into quadrats. It is early morning and the sun hasn't yet risen.
marine licensing

Rethinking Marine Restoration: Why Permits Could Be Holding Us Back

The Ocean is in crisis. Coral reefs are bleaching, seagrass meadows are vanishing, mangroves are being cleared, and biodiversity is plummeting. Scientists estimate we’ve already lost up to 50% of global saltmarshes, 35% of mangroves, and 20% of seagrasses. Yet alongside this sobering decline, momentum for marine restoration has never

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Seagrass meadow in Orkney.

Our response to the Scottish Government Blue Carbon Action Plan

Earlier this year, the Scottish Government circulated a draft version of Scotland’s first Blue Carbon Action Plan with key stakeholders to gather comments and feedback. Project Seagrass was one of the organisations contacted as part of this process. The Blue Carbon Action Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s position and

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A seagrass meadow with fish swimming through it
microbiome

The role of the microbiome in the successful transplantation of seagrass meadows

Posidonia seagrass meadows, veritable underwater forests, play a major ecological role. Under constant pressure from human activity, scientists are looking for ways to ensure their survival, in particular by carrying out restoration campaigns. A study conducted by the University of Liège at the marine and oceanographical research station STARESO (Calvi,

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A seagrass meadow in Orkney. A lighter reproductive shoot is present.

Summer surveys in Scotland’s seagrass meadows

This summer, the Sjogras Partnership returned to Orkney to undertake a range of surveys to further develop our understanding of the health and extent of Orkney’s important seagrass meadows.    Between the 19th July and 1st August, Professor Joanne Porter from Heriot Watt University  and Dr Elizabeth Lacey from Project Seagrass

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Laura Suggitt swimming the Channel
Channel Swim

Successful swim to support seagrass

In a guest blog post, Laura Suggitt shares her experiences of swimming the Channel to raise vital funds for environment funds including Project Seagrass: Earlier this month, I swam across the English Channel to France with my team, The Matriarsea. We completed the crossing in 12 hours and 49 minutes;

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